


Complicated

by The_Plot_Thinens



Series: Complicated [1]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-27
Updated: 2018-07-07
Packaged: 2019-05-14 07:40:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 25
Words: 100,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14765402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Plot_Thinens/pseuds/The_Plot_Thinens
Summary: John Smith is a professor at a prestigious university and had what some would describe as the perfect life. Now with the perfect wife, his life seems complete. Though Mrs. Smith might have signed up for more than she bargained for when she had first considered John's age gap. Sort of a retelling of Doctor Who season 1 with complications. See it through it gets better, promise.





	1. Chapter 1 - John had it all

Complicated  
by The Plot Thinens  
Chapter 1 - John had it all

Doctor John Smith had it all, a great job as a professor of Physics at the local university. Well not just Physics, sometimes he would teach a class on several different subjects other than physics. One might say he was a PHD on several subjects in fact. This made him invaluable at university and he was never short on work and in the current economy, work was always a good thing. His only personal problems were dealing with a bizarre string of dreams and nightmares that he wrote down in a dream journal as suggested by a colleague of his. Perhaps one day he would make sense of them and discover his fixation on blue boxes.  
He had a lovely Victorian era home, complete with a white picket fence, right outside of town and 20 minutes from work. Away from the subject of work, John was not the most handsome of men, but he was charismatic, charming and clever. With another worldly air that drew people to him like a magnet, he had no trouble becoming one of the most sought after professors on campus. He observed more than once that he caught the eye of some of his fellow employees and some students and depending on the reasons he was sought after, might have gotten him into a few uncomfortable situations once or twice. Fortunately, his best friend, Jack the Janitor, always seemed to be nearby when he needed saving. But for the most part he enjoyed the uncomplicated respect and admiration of his pupils and colleagues.

Because of the above mentioned it was all the more painful, for a few individuals, the day that John Smith was clearly and without a doubt off the market. John Smith as it turns out was not at all interested in dating anyone in his normal sphere and fell in love with a university store shop girl. They had met several times before while John was rushing to buy dry erase markers or some other school supply needed for his lessons. However, it wasn't until they had both caught each other late at night at the local Chippy restaurant off campus that they began to strike up real conversation. Well a conversation ensued after John had impressively rescued her, using just a cricket ball, from some muggers in an alley behind the Chippy. After filling out police reports the woman had treated him to chips as thanks. The conversation went greater than could be expected for two people with such different backgrounds and age gap. Despite her lack of academic education, John found her brilliant and saw that she had every potential for greatness if given the opportunity to apply it. He loved how she caught on so fast to his ramblings on various subjects. She could even keep up with him better than most of his students though she might not have understood everything he said. The two became inseparable partners in crime. They were always heading off on local adventures on weekends and ambling around the campus between work hours on weekdays. At first they shyly insisted that they were just friends and nothing more. They were almost comical to look at being so different from each other but on-lookers just shrugged and assumed that two extremely eccentric people had simply found a kindred spirit in each other. Eventually even those who knew them had to admit that their affection for each other, although unlikely, was genuine. They never had a lack of subjects to talk about and even thought it turned some head, and took a great deal of convincing from her mother, Rose Tyler became John Smith's wife after what some would describe as a whirl wind courtship.

They had been living happily, Rose even going back to school this term to get her A-levels now that she only had to work part-time, for now. Rose was a sponge for knowledge and now given the opportunity to learn again she was making great progress. And the sky was the limits as to what she could do with her life. Needless to say she and John were building up quite the wanderlust for the future. To celebrate her current success John and Rose had decided to attend a university ball that was sure to be an enchanting evening.

However, none of that mattered now because John Smith was finding himself being threatened by four familiar faces on campus brandishing weapons that disintegrate people! John was confused and frightened for his wife who has been snatched up by one of the lunatics. These four people were quite obviously crazy and wanted him to stop being human and change back into a Time Lord! Whatever that is? He just wished they would direct their insanity in some other direction other than him and his wife.  
"We may have ended up leaving you alone for a while longer than planned, but we found you!" hissed Brother of Blood. Smirking he tugged on Rose's hair.  
"I see you've been busy while we've been getting that vortex manipulator to lock on you. Did you enjoy your extended time as a human? I smell you all over this one."  
John was getting angry and about to do something desperate in an attempt to save his wife. When suddenly Jack the Janitor busted into the room toting a gun that looked like it belonged in a space movie! Why? John didn't care because for whatever the reason the crazies were buying it. Jack took control of the situation and managed to clear the hall of its entire remaining guest. He then ferried Rose and John away from the mad peoples' clutches.  
Their odd night was now continuing in Jack's 'office'. It was more of a broom closet but out of the way and a good place to hide. It clearly did not look like your typical janitor's closet and was littered with space age looking collectables.  
"Doc! It's time to change back, you've been found out!" Implored Jack to John handing him a silver fob watch with odd characters on it. Nothing was making sense to John and he was beginning to wonder if something was in the water making everyone crazy.  
"What do ya mean change back? John, this can't make less sense, yeah?" asked Rose leaning onto her husband's arm.  
"Of course it doesn't make any sense! He's forgotten who he used to be! But you can remember it all if you just open this watch up, Doc! Come on, I haven't been cleaning toilets for 18 months just for the universe to be destroyed now!" Explained Jack to the dark haired man.  
"What those four people said is correct. You're the Doctor. You are a Time Lord hiding from the Family of Blood! You've been in hiding for over a year now. They are alien hunters who want to consume your life force so that they can live forever! The whole universe is in danger if you don't open this watch now!" cried Jack.  
"You're just as crazy as they are Jack! Let's just call the police and let them sort it!" shouted John at a flustered Jack.  
"Oh sure, bring the lambs to the slaughter, just look at the watch, Doc! That's all I ask! Then you'll remember everything! You asked me to keep an eye on you if something like this happened while you were in hiding! I've been your companion on your little misadventures since we met during the Blitz in London! You saved my life and now I'm returning the favor!" countered Jack. John raised his eyebrow indignantly at Jack who just frustratingly gestured at the fob watch. Smith then reluctantly diverted his eyes to the silver fob watch. It seemed to be an ordinary watch nothing at all important about it, but it felt warmer than cold metal should. He found himself starting to feel almost hypnotized by the small metal thing. He was about to open the catch when he caught himself. He dropped the watch to the floor, though not sure why. All he knew was that he felt driven to distance himself from it like a survival instinct. Not catching John's mood Rose laughed in spite of herself.  
"It's just a watch, how scary can it be?" Rose bent down and pick up the watch, it was warm and inviting like a handshake from a new friend that you knew you would get along swimmingly with. She opened the catch and golden light spewed out from it surprising everyone in the room but Jack. As she peered into the watch the information dawned on her. Rose closed the watch and stared at it before raising her head to her husband.  
"You're n' alien…Jack's right. You're the Doctah." Rose said in disbelief. John looked besides himself. He was beginning to think that this was one big prank being played on him and he could not believe that his own wife was in on such a sick joke.  
"Rose, you are far too fantastic a person to be involved in this sort of thing! It's a bad joke! End it already!" he barked.  
Rose was taken aback by his tone; he had never raised his voice to her even on the rare occasions that they had fights. She didn't want to believe it but somehow she simply knew that the watch spoke the truth and her husband had a very important job to do. She would have to convince him to open this watch himself and see what he had to be and do for the sake of the universe. A war was going on in her head: Keep her husband and watch the world be destroyed or give her husband to the universe and save it? Either way she would lose her husband or was this losing him? Was her husband gaining forgotten memories really losing him? But, he's going to change, what does that mean? Will he still love me the same? These thoughts danced around in her head in a never ending loop until the reminder that the universe was at stake came to the surface! She couldn't be selfish even though she really wanted to be and keep John all for herself.  
Rose wondered that if she truly loved him would that mean having to learn to love his Time Lord side too? Was it a test of their love? Would he even love her after he remembered being this glorious Doctor that the fob had given her a peek of? A tear rolled down her eye as she raised her hand and pointed to the blue box in the corner of the room that until now had gone unnoticed. She knew that would convince him.  
"There, that's what you need to see. The blue box…it's called a…" Rose was interrupted.  
"TARDIS" finished John.


	2. Chapter 2 - The Doctor and John

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life is going to change very dramatically for Rose and her John.

Complicated  
by The Plot Thinens   
Chapter 2 - The Doctor and John

 

John stared in disbelief at the object that had seemed to have jumped right out of his dreams. A part of him wanted to continue to believe that this was a prank and that Rose had used his dream journal he had shown her to aid in said prank, but he knew that could never be the case. He touched the blue box with shaking fingers and then removed them as if the box were red hot. Understanding now what this all meant for John Smith, college professor, he swung over to Rose and clasp her hand that was holding the fob watch. The close contact to the watch confirmed his suspicions. He held Rose tighter and stole a kiss from her lips. John was afraid and every part of him was trembling with that fear. Rose could feel his fear in his hand and in his kiss and in empathy her eyes began to tear up for him.

"If I change Rose, we can't have the same future together!" he huffed into her ear hardly able to breathe.  
"But if you don't change, we'll have no chance at a future together at all" Sniffled Rose. Sounds of odd bombing in the distance and tremors shook the ground. Jack poked his head out the window of his 'office' and he hissed  
"They're attacking the campus! They 're done clowning around Doc, there is no time left!"  
John closed his eyes and concentrated on the watch in their laced hand. Taking in a breath and absorbing any residual information that simply touching the dreaded object could give. John's eyes snapped open and he stared at Rose, she saw a deep sadness almost a form of pity in his eyes for Rose.  
"Oh my Rose, my fantastic Rose… I don't know…I don't know if he will love you the way I do. He's so hurt, scarred and damaged. I don't even know if he can love like I do. He's like fire and ice…A storm, and he's…" John said before he was interrupted by Rose  
"He's wonderful, because he is you, John. You're the same you just forgot a bit of yourself." Rose prayed that this was correct. Rose feared that John might have caught a bit of her doubts. Clamping her hands tighter he looked Rose straight in the eye and with an intensity rarely seen in this world he declared,  
"Rose, I will change, I won't be the same. Never again, but I don't care what I have to do inside that head of his, if that's where I go when I open that watch. If it is in my power I will make him love you! I am him, John is this Doctor fellow or at least some part of him! And if that's the case he will love you, part of him will love you. Because a part of him is… me. Don't forget that I love you so he does too. Even if he denies it up and down! Don't let him make you leave and please don't give up on me. It might be hard but I know we can make it through anything". Rose nodded soberly and drew him into a final kiss. With his arms wrapped tightly around her and her body pressed up to his, he whispered,

"I love you, Rose Tyler Smith" and he opened the catch of the watch. Rose and John were bathed in a golden light that circled the two lovers and seemed to pull and push right through the both of them before settling its focus on transforming John Smith into The Doctor. And then he was the Doctor, all the Doctor. All of his Time Lordy self. The memories and events that he had experienced as John Smith were still in his head but the Doctor was front burner while John was a whisper in the back of his rather large mind, but John was clearly there. The Doctor didn't know what to do with or how to process the information in his newly put back together mind, so he did what he always did, stored it for later and went back to the basics, running.  
Not physical running, at least not yet, but mentally he was running away from the situation as fast as he could and went back to his comfort zone of indifferent ancient alien time traveler. He pulled away from Rose, not rudely but enough to establish to her that his personal space was needed and Rose wordlessly complied.

"John… err I mean Doctor, are you alright..?" asked Rose hesitantly, but she never got to finish this sentence as the Doctor jumped into his mad and manic persona and began a rapid fire argument with his companion, Captain Jack Harkness.  
"You were supposed to be watchin' after me, Jack! How could you let me up and marry a 20 year old human? It was bad enough with people thinking that there was just over a 20 year difference as opposed to almost 900!" Bellowed the Doctor. Rose found herself in a very interesting situation. She was a bit shocked to be referred to in such a way by a man who looked like her husband. Who very well might actually still be her husband! This thought went through her head as her eyes darted from her wedding band to the one on The Doctor's hand that seemed to go unnoticed by its wearer. Unable to voice her emotions in words she mutely continued to watch the drama between these two men who were obviously more familiar to each other then John and Jack the janitor ever were. Jack pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration and barked back,  
"Doc, what can I say? I've traveled with you since the Blitz and that is more than enough time for takers with me. I'm obviously not doing it for you. You're the one who showed up on campus after a long weekend with a ring on your finger. How was I to know that all but eloping was in your nature? Not like you told me or invited me to your wedding! At least I kept you from eating pears! After all was said and done I just figured you could use a good woman to stop you from walking around like you got a fork up your..."  
"But there are difference between humans and Time Lords!" sneered the Doctor. Jack made a not too shy glance down south of the Doctor. Then looking backup replied,  
"Really? Now that's interesting, you gotta show me sometime. But that shouldn't be a problem. I mean after all, I found a creative way to be intimate with the dominate species of the planet we visited in the…"  
"Okay that's enough! I meant aging, you idiot!" yelled the Doctor. Jack quickly retorted,  
"Oh is that all, hey, lucky you Rose. Not too much to get used to then. Well, physically anyway." The two men's argument now shifted in Rose's direction, but the Doctor continued to lock eyes with Jack and declared,  
"I'm going to stay the way I am now indefinitely, while I'll have to watch Rose age and die! She's my wife now and that complicates matters!" The Doctor pointed to Rose and Jack fed up with the whole situation without thinking snarked,  
"Well when are things not complicated for you, Doctor? It could be worse! If anything eventually she'll look like the cougar and you the pretty young thing." Rose had now had it with these two morons talking about her as if she wasn't even in the room and shouted,  
"Excuse me, but I'm not invisible here? Doesn't anyone care what I'm thinking right now, yeah?" Jack remembered himself and cringed at his choice of words. He had not gotten too close to Rose as John had fears of him snatching her up with his Jack charm, but he knew Rose was a sweet and kind young woman who clearly didn't deserve the way she was being treated by the two men in this room.  
"Hey I'm sorry Rose, what do you think?" he asked Rose before the ground shook from blasting alien missiles yet again.  
"I think someone has got to sort out those aliens!" Declared Rose remembering the events that got them in this situation in the first place. The Doctor stood up tall and straight and rubbed his hands together in almost a giddy fashion,  
"Alright you two stay here. I'm gonna sort out this rude lot and then we'll sort out the rest. Sound good, no complaints?" announced the Doctor but not stopping for an answer. He swung around and headed for the TARDIS. Rose put up her hand and raised her voice,  
"Wait, are you going to be okay?" asked Rose a bit apprehensive but concerned.  
"Me? Oh Don't you worry Rose Tyler, I'll be fine… Well, be back in a mo!" he beamed with the biggest smile though not for anyone in particular and a bit forced.  
"Be careful." Whispered Rose and The Doctor was off like a shot into the TARDIS. Its doors closed and the blue box much to Rose's disbelief disappeared from the little room.


	3. Chapter 3 - The Wrath of a Time Lord

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wrath.

Complicated  
by The Plot Thinens  
Chapter 3 - The Wrath of a Time Lord

 

"I gave you every opportunity to leave me alone and now you have left me no choice." Stated the Doctor slow and cool but with a forceful tone that breathed power. The first thing he had done once he had manned the TARDIS for the first time in over a year was change back into his own Doctor-ish clothing of leather and jeans. He then created a device that would lock the Family of Blood in their current shells eliminating their trump card of body snatching. Now that they no longer had the power to absorb a victim at will they were beginning to find the Doctor a more fearsome being as he strolled among the Family. He had the presence of a God surveying aunts beneath his feet. He would be their Judge, jury and executioner. And why should he not be? The second thing he had done was adjust his sonic screwdriver to make their weapons red hot and they had dropped them to nurse their burnt stolen hands. Now trapped in weak human bodies with no means to defend themselves these predators might be glimpsing a hint of what every one of their victims had felt before they were absorbed painfully and without mercy. But he would give them more pain and he had no mercy, not since before the Time war. He could still be diplomatic but that time and chance had long passed and he would make them regret their actions a hundred times over. His icy blue eyes dug into their gaseous souls and they were shaking in their stolen bones.

"You wanted to live forever didja? Well I can help you with that." The Doctor said, his voice as cold as ice. And with that he inflicted punishments to the four befitting their crimes. He would grant them the immortality they sought but with a cruel price. Separated and forever miserable he insured that their long lives would be without any comfort. The Doctor reflected on the lives they had disrupted and the people they had hurt through their selfish desires to live a little longer. Having now worked his way through the other three, The Doctor secured Brother of Blood inside the lake side statue of university's founder, aided by some jiggery pokery of the Sonic Screwdriver. Now for as long as this statue stood Brother would stand guard watching over the university's sacred grounds he had once threatened.

And as the Doctor finished his work his mind finally caught up with him and his thoughts went back to Rose, who was now technically his wife. He regretted what he had put her through. Rose didn't deserve any of this. She was a fantastic person who deserved fantastic things to happen to her along with a fantastic man. The Doctor felt many things about his superior biology and intelligence but after the time war and having seen its horrors he was not feeling like a fantastic guy. What would he even do with a human wife? A wife did not fit in with the basic companion. Was it even going to be a problem? Would she really still want to try to be with him? He wasn't really John anymore; John was surface memories he could access at will. At best he was like a little conscious nipping at the back of his head. The Doctor did not know why all this should concern him so much. He had been married many times during past regenerations, often by accident, and then just went on his merry way afterwards. Couldn't he just do the same to Rose? The thought seemed so cruel but after all if one would logic it out, if one married in the past that wife was already dead in the future. By that logic it was not like marriage was ever a real binding attachment to a time traveling alien. Often enough he just wanted to get away, from said usually forced marriage, before he found himself imprisoned for whatever reason. But this was sort of different. Both Rose and John had been willing committed participants and although he was missing memories at the time, John was still the Doctor at the time he had married. Well, maybe because it was under an assumed name it vetoed the marriage.

 

The Doctor's pondering was interrupted when he became aware of the cold metal on his left ring finger and stared at it. This was placed on his hand by a woman who thought she was marrying a different man not him, she was in love with the ghost of another man not him. To him that man was dead and he should act accordingly. The Doctor grasped the simple gold band between his thumb and index finger and slipped it off his ring finger. He regarded the shiny object and fisted the ring in his right hand.  
"Time to bury the dead again." He said as he pulled his hand back to throw the ring into the lake as far as he could. But something happened as the Doctor was about to let go. In his very big time lord mind an image of Rose and her smile flashed before his eyes. Followed by the image of her lovely young face as they exchanged the rings in the same church her parents had been married. The Doctor stopped his throw and once again looked at the ring. Feeling a little beside himself he looked around even though he knew no one was around but the statue Brother of Blood. And who was he going to tell? The Doctor pocketed the ring in his side chest pocket, straightened his coat and then walked back to the TARDIS.


	4. Chapter 4 - Distractions are lovely

Complicated  
by The Plot Thinens   
Chapter 4 - Distractions are lovely

 

Jack and Rose were bunkered up in Jack the former janitor's office. It was not in Jack's nature to sit idly by while a fight was going on. But experience had taught him to know when the Doctor had to do something for himself. The best thing for him to do was to guard the Doctor's 'bride' from harm until his Time Lordyness returned for them. Rose had so many questions to ask about The Doctor and where to go from here with life. If she had the humor to do so, she probably would have thought that this current situation trumped any wedding night confessions she could think of. Rose got a hold of her thoughts and remembered that if one looked too far ahead they would trip over their feet. For now she would settled for learning about what was in front of her. She asked Jack questions in regard to how he was actually acquainted with the Doctor, where he was from, or in his case when, and what it was he did for the Doctor as his companion. Companion, it just seemed so vague a job title. Jack was doing his best to answer her questions but only got as far as his own back story. The rest was just tangents about situations where he ended up naked. Jack being ever the excellent storyteller was happy that he could actually keep Rose laughing.  
"Jack, you are a really amusing guy. I'd love to share a pint with you under different circumstances, but I really want to know about what a companion is." Stated Rose as she straightened her skirt absentmindedly. Jack leaned back in his chair and pondered the question.

"That is a good question, Rose Tyler. I've been the Doctor's companion for a while now but probably his janitor longer. A guy like the Doctor is amazing and he can do anything it seems, but what is doing anything if you don't have an audience. I'm convinced that he took me on for a few reasons. One, it's me. Captain Jack Harkness. How could you turn this down, hmm?" said Jack waggling his eyebrows. He then continued  
"He is fond of showing off, so I might be someone to stand and watch him be impressive and tell him so. But all joking aside, I think he took me on as a companion because he was lonely and needed a friend. Even time lords with all of their bragging can, I am convinced get lonely." Declared Jack. Rose deliberated on this and thought it sad. She didn't know why he was lonely surely there were other aliens like him. Why would he need to keep humans around? Maybe Jack was really a pet but just didn't see it. Either way she didn't like the idea of the Doctor being lonely. Rose was torn from her thoughts when the two humans heard the sound of the TARDIS materializing outside the window.  
"He's back!" the two said in unison and raced to greet him.

When the two had finally made it to the front of the TARDIS they found that it was locked.  
"Guess his royal Time Lordyness expects us to come to him." Said Jack as he rolled his eyes exasperated. Jack produced a Yale lock key from his pocket and opened the door to the TARDIS. With a flourish he swung around and said  
"Welcome to the TARDIS, Rose!" and ran inside.  
Rose ran in after him and was taken off guard, she was not expecting to be greeted with such a huge space and needed a moment to get her footing in the new environment. She saw Jack and the Doctor at the center of the Room at what appeared to be some form of alien console that seem to look part machine and part organic. But that didn't matter. She had to confirm what her senses were telling her and she ran back outside the doors. She then walked around the outside of the TARDIS twice and realized after poking her head back inside that it was indeed,  
"Bigger on the inside!" Rose announced to herself. At this point the Doctor had turned his attentions to the confused human as she slowly walked back inside the space that was alien to her in more ways than one. The Doctor stood tall and observed the pink and yellow human before him. Jack leaning back into the jump seat was looking on nervously from the sidelines. Jack was very eager to see how this would play out. He hoped that for both his friend and new friend's sakes that this played out for the best.  
"You're Alien," stated Rose for the second time tonight. Before it had been easy to believe anything when caught up in that dramatic moment earlier, but now she needed to ground herself and clarify her new situation. She needed reassurance that she wasn't cracking up,  
"Yes… Is that a problem?" Asked the Doctor in earnest.  
"No." Rose stated immediately. As long as they were not attacking her, she honestly did not care what anyone was. She just wanted to finally have her talk with this Doctor man and get her answers.  
"Well, then glad that's settle. I'm the Doctor by the way. Pleasure ta meet you." Smiled the Doctor and extended his hand in the most congenial way he knew how. Rose took his hand mechanically if not instinctually and shook it.  
"Rose Tyler Smi…" she caught herself this whole situation was so surreal and uncomfortable. As they shook hands Rose could not help but notice that the Doctor was not wearing the wedding band that had been on his hand when he was John. Rose's heart ached at this discovery but she kept a brave face on, refusing to jump to conclusions. She really wanted to just sit down and talk rather than leaving everything up in the air like this. She was going to suggest that they have a sit down but her intentions were interrupted by the Doctor's voice having now just finished their handshake.

"Very good, Rose Tyler, Bout time we were formally introduced" stated the Doctor. The Doctor then hopped to the console and proceeded to look busy. He felt terrible for running away from Rose's questions. He knew what she wanted to ask, but running away was what the Doctor did. It had worked for him so far, why mess with the plan now? He just hoped that somehow he could hold off the questions just a bit longer. As if by the grace of time itself the Doctor started getting a reading from an odd signal in London.  
"Hmm, that shouldn't be there." The Doctor mused. He then punched a few coordinates into the TARDIS and began his dance around the console readying it for flight.  
"Sorry Jack and Rose, but we will have to recap the year and half later. We have an alien signal to deal with!" Declared the Doctor still busy with the coordinates. Jack leaped up from the jump seat only to be thrown back down as the TARDIS lurched this way and that. Rose having had no warning was holding on to the nearest coral strut as if her life depended on it.  
"But Doc, what about Rose?" bellowed Jack as he hugged the base of the jump seat. The Doctor not even looking up from the console, waved his hand and stated,  
"Oh bring her along, the more the merrier. We're not going far anyway. We're staying in this time and just moving to London. Rose is from this century she might even be useful helping us." Rose looked incredulously at the Doctor for hinting that there was only a possibility that she might be useful to him. She would have smacked his arm if both her arms weren't already engaged in holding on for dear life.  
"We're losing the signal a bit, only can get a partial lock, don't know where in London we'll be landing kids, hold on tight!" shouted the Doctor.  
The TARDIS shook a bit more and then finally came to a stop. Rose sensing that they had landed, or whatever this spaceship did, let go of the strut and walked over to the TARDIS doors. She apprehensively went to push the door open but looked back to Jack and the Doctor.

"Go ahead Rose," smiled Jack. Rose opened the door and walked outside. Amazing! She had walked into the box on campus and was now in London and across the Thames was the London Eye! It was like magic! She was removed from her revelry when the Doctor and Jack emerged from the TARDIS with business faces on.  
"Am I going to assume that this alien signal is not the friendly kind?" Questioned Rose.  
"You ask good questions, Rose Tyler. And you're right, usually an out of place alien signal on Earth is not a good sign, s'pose."  
"Speaking of good questions and aliens, if you are an alien, then how come you sound like you're from the North?" Asked Rose who was part being serious and part in jest. The Doctor crossed his arms looking insulted and declared,  
"Lots of planets have a North!" Jack took this opportunity to inject himself into the conversation.  
"I hate to interrupt the newlyweds, but we do have a possible alien threat to investigate! Since we were only able to get a partial signal, I think we should split up" declared Jack. Before the Doctor could protest or push Rose on to team Jack, Jack was already off like a shot with two goals. Find said alien threat and give the Doctor and his bride some alone time.  
"I mean hunting aliens together, what could be more romantic?" Jack mused to himself as he ran up the side of the river.


	5. Chapter 5 - Look out! Rose n Doctor's about!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> London shenanigans.

Complicated  
by The Plot Thinens   
Chapter 5 - Look out! Rose n Doctor's about!

 

"Doctah! wait up, yeah? I can't keep up with you in these shoes! It's a wonder my heels didn't fall through the grates on the floor of that Spaceship of yours." Rose yelled down the street to the back of the Doctor's cropped hair head.  
"TARDIS and hold on a tick." Retorted the Doctor. The Doctor turned around, then strolled up to Rose and gave her an appraising glance. Her light pink cocktail dress and stiletto heels were such lovely things but were probably not the best apparel for the work out he had in mind for alien hunting.  
"Earth woman fashion… Bloody rubbish when it comes to practicality." Grumbled the Doctor as he got down on one knee in front of Rose.  
"Well please excuse the poor Earth woman. You're the one who said I looked sexy in it earlier when…!" Rose stopped talking mid sentence for two reasons. One, she realized that she was referring to the Doctor as she would to John, which for the moment seemed awkward or uncomfortable. And two, the Doctor getting down on one knee in front of her like he was now, reminded her of John's proposal.  
The Doctor pulled a strange metal stick out from his coat pocket and tinkered with it a bit. He then lifted Rose's left foot gingerly off of the ground making sure to give her time to compensate and shift her weight. Rose was, after all, assisting him with his investigation and an injured human was even less use to him. He aimed the end of the metal device, a 'sonic screwdriver' he told her, at Rose's heel. She couldn't help but shiver just a little from his touch. She watched with amazement as the Sonic Screwdriver with a gentle hum seemed to restructure her shoe into something a bit more like a running shoe. It didn't even pinch her feet anymore as high heel shoes tended to.  
"Not a genuine trainer but it will do in a pinch. Now shift, I need to get the other one." Said the Doctor. Rose complied to the Doctor's wishes and produced the other shoed foot.  
"Just made em a bit more cushioned and formed for your slightly higher arches. And you don't even have to worry about the size a bit bigger on the inside for ya too." Smirked the Doctor in a know-it-all voice.  
Rose couldn't help but be impressed but they had been the most expensive pair of shoes she owned.  
"I know what you're thinkin'. I'll replace the bloody shoes later if you want. Now, new trainers, no excuses not to keep up! Let's go, it's this way!" Said the Doctor almost too fast for Rose to catch.  
The Doctor began running off down a side alley all the while fiddling with the Sonic. Suddenly he stopped dead in his tracks and made a full reverse.  
"I mean this way." Said the Doctor a bit sheepishly but still trying to keep his superior air about him as he followed his Sonic Screwdriver's directions. Rose rolled her eyes, she was now ahead of the Doctor with his turn of directions and was easily running in stride with him.

The Doctor and Rose had run about two blocks down and over from where they had landed in the TARDIS when the Doctor finally stopped abruptly near the security entrance of a shopping center that look as if it was about to close for the night. Rose had been caught off guard and bumped into the Time Lord. Not wanting to fall backward she grabbed for the back of the Doctor's jacket throwing him off balance. The Doctor managed to right himself by twirling around on his heels and pulling Rose upright by her hands.  
"Got no time for dancing right now, Rose." Said the Doctor a bit annoyed.  
"Sorry, but next time a warning would be nice." Replied Rose just as annoyed. Both their eyes then trailed down to their joined hands. Rose could have sworn that she saw the Doctor's ears pink a bit before he dropped her hands and turned around.  
"Your 'ands are so much colder now." Stated Rose about the temperature of the Doctor's hands, but she could have just as easily been referring to the Doctor's treatment of her. The Doctor started walking to the half closed entrance to the staff only part of the store, but said over his shoulder,  
"Yeah Well, Time Lord again. Different species. Different body temperature, alien thing, you understand. Well maybe ya don't exactly but enough."  
Rose was coming up to the Doctor's side when she realized that he had already drummed up a conversation with the security staffer locking the doors for the night.  
"…from the security company. Here to inspect the equipment. Got some nice new upgrades for ya" Said the Doctor. Producing a dog eared looking wallet, he then flashed it in front of the guard. Rose didn't see what was on it but from the guards reaction it seem official enough. An impressive feat Rose thought since none of them were exactly dressed like they were supposed to be in the store after hours.  
"Well everything seems in order here. I'll just be finishing me job locking these doors and you can finish yours. Did the company give you a key?" asked the security staffer. The Doctor smiled and replied  
"Oh I got all the keys I need right here." He then patted his pocket that held the sonic screwdriver. The guard smiled and waved behind the locked doors as he walked off to his car. The Doctor returned his wave in kind, but the second the man was out of sight his face went dead pan and his eyes the iciest they could be. He then walked off towards the direction that the guard had reminded them was the security room. Rose did her best to keep up with the Time Lord who moved with speed and a mind focused on nothing but the task at hand. The Doctor then announced in a no nonsense voice,  
"The signals getting mixed up. It's like it's almost all over the place. Like it's out reaching, it's high… Anyway something here is transmitting and we got to find it. Best bet is to see what cctv in this building has got to say but in the meantime… Keep an eye out for something out of the ordinary"  
"You mean besides you?" replied Rose with a bit of sarcasm.

It didn't take them long to locate the security camera room in the basement. It was an impressive set up and had a least 5 cameras for every floor of the shopping center. The Doctor looked over the screens but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. There were just dark rooms with shelves of clothing and shop window dummies. Frustrated that it was going to be a bit more of a challenge, the Doctor assumed that whatever it was they were looking for was either very small or cloaking itself somehow. Having reasoned this, the Doctor began to pull out parts of the expensive looking security system.  
"Doctah, what are ya doin? You're going to get us in trouble." Declared Rose.  
"We're looking for possible alien hostiles that might want to cause harm to this planet and/ or its inhabitants and you're worried about getting in trouble with mall security over a few spare parts? Priorities, Rose." The doctor said as he rolled his eyes at the human. He then went back to work and without looking at her said  
"Besides I said we were giving it an upgrade, I can have it working twice as good with half these parts later if I wanted…" he trailed off and was now fully engrossed in his task of creating a device to pinpoint the signal's location in the building. However in his haste to be hasty in getting into this mystery the Doctor had failed to teach Rose the canon companion rule number one. The most sacred but often ignored, 'Don't wander off.' And seeing that she was probably not going to be any use to the Doctor for a while, that is just what Rose Tyler was doing, wandering off.


	6. Chapter 6 - Life in Plastic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Its fantastic!

Complicated  
by The Plot Thinens  
Chapter 6 - Life in Plastic

Rose meandered around the basement storage room looking for anything out of the ordinary as the Doctor had put it. All the while trying to decide if it was at all reasonable to classify her situation with her husband, or whatever he was now, as their first big fight. It was like marrying someone and finding out that they were hiding a multiple personality disorder. Frustrated she threw her arms up and groaned to the ceiling.  
"What am I going to do with him?" she was practically shouting. Suddenly Rose heard the sound of something rustling behind her. She swung her head around thinking it was the Doctor but saw nothing. A little unnerved she reasoned that something just fell over. She told herself to get a grip and stop being childish. She was the only living thing in this creepy room full of boxes, shop dummies, and disused furniture. She walked a bit further and was sure this time she had heard something.  
"Ello? Is that someone mucking about? Who is it?" She demanded, the worry evident in her voice. That's when she noticed that one of the dummies was moving! A male looking dummy in front of her had turned its head and was now moving toward her. "Yeah, you got me. Very funny." Said Rose to the dummy in a very clipped voice.   
It was then that she noticed that a second dummy was coming up behind her then a third and a fourth. Rose was realizing now that she was becoming quickly surrounded. And it was at that moment she knew that this was definitely out of the ordinary. Rose backed down a corner of the storage room that seemed clear, hoping to find a way out. It had to be a prank but every instinct in her body was telling her to stay away from this threat and she was going to listen. She continued to back away from the dummies in front of her until she noticed that they had her up against a wall. The dummies were closing in now, their silent blank faces as frightening as any slobbering beast she could think of. The dummies raised their arms as if to strike her down and rose turned her head and shut her eyes tight. She didn't want to see it coming. Rose all of a sudden felt a cool hand grab hers and she open her eyes and turned to the suspected owner. To her great relief cool blue eyes that promised protection looked back at her.  
"Run." Declared the Doctor as he dragged her out the nearby door he had just soniced open. The plastic people's killing blow had just missed her by seconds. Rose looked back just in time to see the damage that they had done to the wall where she had been standing. The Doctor had saved her life.

The two raced down the hallway with an army of plastic store dummies at their heels. The Doctor pulled Rose into the waiting service lift and they watched as the doors slowly closed. Unfortunately, the doors did not shut fast enough and one of the plastic dummies managed to put its arm through. Knowing that the lift could not ascend without being completely closed, the Doctor began to tug at the dummy's arm until he had pulled it clean off the plastic monster. With the way cleared, the doors closed the rest of the way and the two moved up the shaft.

"You pulled his arm off." Stated Rose in disbelief.  
"Yep. Plastic. First rule, though thought it should have been obvious, Don't wander off! My fault on that one, though. I forgot to tell you." Replied the Doctor as he tossed the arm to Rose, who caught it, though reluctantly. The lift doors opened again and the Doctor disabled the lifts controls so it could not be called back to the basement level. He then shuffled Rose toward an emergency exit.  
"But it's gotta be like a trick, yeah? Plastic doesn't move by itself." Reasoned Rose not quite ready to believe what was right in front of her.  
"It's not a trick. Remember the out of the ordinary? That was it. They're made of plastic. Living plastic creatures. Autons. I've just discovered they're being controlled by a relay device in the roof, which would be a great big problem if I didn't have this." Smiled the Doctor in grim satisfaction as he produced what looked like a small explosive device.

"Did I marry a nutter? You keep explosives in your pockets?" Asked Rose in disbelief.  
"Oh, just small ones. So, I'm going to go up there and blow them up, and I might well die in the process, but don't worry about me. Your mum's not too far from here, if I do recall. Go pay her a visit. Oh, don't tell anyone about this, because if you do, you'll get them killed." The Doctor quickly said, while she pushed Rose out the exit. And before Rose could say anything he had already shut the door on her. The door opened again and the Doctor poked his head out.  
"Oh just in case, it was nice to meet you, Rose. Run for your life!" He announced and shut the door again. Rose was in a daze still clasping at the plastic arm the Doctor had handed her. Finally she got her wits about her. She tried at the door and it was locked from the inside. She wanted to get to the Doctor, she didn't want to leave him to face this alone. Rose's struggle at the door she was fast realizing was in vain and then the idea of the Doctor's explosives came to mind. Instinct again took over and she realized that she had no other choice but to heed the Doctor's words and RUN! Rose managed to clear the building and ran across the street almost getting hit by a taxi cab in the process. She then saw the building that she had been in seconds ago and that the Doctor, her husband, was still inside, explode and burst into flames. If Rose had not been in shock before after tonight she was now. It was too much to take, the aliens, the attacks, spaceships, possibly losing her husband twice in one night. Her brain shut down to its basic functions and she slowly made the walk towards the familiar path to her mother's flat at the Powell Estate.


	7. Chapter 7 – Domestics

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What a night to wake up from.

Complicated  
by The Plot Thinens   
Chapter 7 – Domestics

Rose woke up at 7:30am in her old bed, in her old room, in her old flat that she had shared with her mother since she was a baby. In her semi-conscious state she may have thought for a moment that she was back in the house she had shared with John for that past two and a half months. She reached her hand out to stroke her husband's back to wake him for work, as was the custom she had developed since they started sharing a bed. Feeling nothing but air she groggily called to him,  
"John…". Rose then snapped fully awake having remembered the previous night's adventure. She hopped out of bed and threw on some old somewhat ratty clothing she had left behind when she moved to John's house. Having made herself decent she dashed into the living room to find her mother on the couch watching telly. Her mother didn't seem to notice that she had entered the room and said to herself,  
"Whole world's going to pot these days. They better catch these guys soon. Two in one day, coppers are lying down on the bloody job!"  
Rose's eyes turned to the TV only to see that the store the Doctor had blown up was still ablaze. Overwhelmed with emotions she dropped to the floor feeling faint and cried. Jackie finally noticing Rose quickly ran to her daughter's side and hugged her. She had been upset enough by the state Rose had arrived in on the previous night.

"Lovey, I saw the news about the Uni bombing attack last night? I didn't wantta push you the night before, but you come home late at night with just the clothes on your back and a dummy arm. You go back to your old room hardly saying two words and go right to sleep and now you're crying buckets! I'm a little confused. Did something happen to John? Was he hurt?" Questioned Jackie. Rose mechanically answered through tears,  
"No, no… we weren't in a bombing on campus…"  
"Then what is it? Are you just upset 'bout the bombing?" Jackie looked deeper into her daughter's tear soaked eyes, she didn't think the bombing on campus had anything to do with what was bothering Rose.  
"Did something happen with John, then? Did he do something to you? Oh, that prat! What did he do?" she demanded. Just the mention of John was making Rose tear up more. Her mother had the wrong idea as usual, but Rose just didn't have the energy for a full on Tyler woman heated conversation over wrong ideas. What she badly wanted to do was to recap the last 24 hours. Rose wanted to tell her mother everything but she was afraid of the Doctor's warning not to tell anyone. The blond was also afraid that even if she did say anything that they'd lock her up in a padded room and swallow the key. Realizing that her mother would only probe deeper if she continued to cry, Rose dried her tears and attempted to pull herself together. Rose looked around and tried to take stock of anything that could change the subject.

"No… Uh, mum what happened to that arm I brought with me?" asked Rose. Jackie looked a little upset that her daughter was dodging the subject but answered her question,  
"Oh did you want that old thing? You were in shock last night. I figured it was just something you picked up in a daze. I chucked it in a bin out in the courtyard when I went to buy milk this morning. It's probably still there if you wanna fish it out." Rose shook her head.

"No I don't need it. I was just curious." Rose answered as she got up and turned off the television. Jackie wanted more information out of her daughter about her husband, but Jackie decided that it was better to get it out over time. If her state was a result of something John had done, Rose was away from him for now and she could protect her baby. She was just thankful that her daughter had the good sense to come to her when she was in trouble, just like she finally did with Jimmy Stone.  
By noon, Rose was master of herself again but she still was worried for the Doctor. She wanted to go out and find him. If there was anything left to find. The blond cringed and pushed that dark thought down. For now she was her mother's prisoner and had to act accordingly. She sat there on the sofa with her cup of tea. She had been drinking a lot of tea so far today but no food. Her stomach was too much in knots for that. She was as calm as anyone could be expected to be in such a situation, but her thoughts kept drifting back to John, the Doctor, whoever he was he had saved her life. And he didn't have to come save her. That was for sure. She was about to be slain by heartless monsters and he came in like a knight on a white horse and snatched her from the mouth of death. Rose would be kidding herself if the daring rescue last night hadn't swept her off her feet just a little. There had been a bit of stirring in her stomach in that adrenaline filled moment when she had seen his face again. And while they were running down that hallway hand in hand. She might actually be developing a, for lack of a more appropriate word for a married woman, crush on the Doctor. And maybe it was a crush that could develop into something more with a little time. How strange to be in love and crushing on the same man like they were two people. Well physically he was one person, mentally she could only guess. Why did it feel like she was cheating on her husband with her husband? Rose let out an exasperated sigh and fell back deeper into the sofa. Until she knew for a fact that he was safe, all of these crazy thoughts were pointless anyway. She needed to search for him and soon or she would go out of her mind.

 

Looking into her mug she noticed that it was in need of refilling. Grumbling she got up. Rose was walking to the kitchen when suddenly she heard something rattling at the door. It could be only one thing and she rolled her eyes in frustration and tilted her head toward her mother's direction."Mum, you're such a liar. I told you to nail that cat flap down. We're going to get strays." Chided Rose in an annoyed tone to her mother who was sitting in her room. Jackie was finally getting ready for the day and waved her hair brush at her daughter through the door."I did it weeks back!" defended Jackie.  
"No, you thought about it." Retorted Rose. On a closer inspection Rose noticed that screws were on the floor and most likely ones that had been used to seal off the cat flap. The Blond went to the cat flap which she just managed to catch moving. Curiously Rose got on all fours for a closer look. Very carefully so as not to expose too much of her fingers to the other side of the door she flipped open the flap. To her astonishment the Doctor was trying to look through on the other side. Without thinking and with unbelievable speed, Rose flung open the door and threw herself into the Doctor's arms.

"Oh, John!" she cried holding him so tight, she then looked into his eyes, they didn't look at her the same way that they used to but she didn't care, her man had come back to her! He was here in her arms in one glorious piece. Running on the adrenaline that came with the seeing of a mate thought lost, she grabbed him by his head and pulled him into a deep breathtaking snog. She pressed herself flush against him and moaned into his mouth.At first the Doctor was stunned but after a few moments of the attentions Rose was giving him, how could he not respond back? Any male would be 'John' for a kiss like that and a little part of him secretly wanted to be that for her. The Doctor gave in and began to kiss her back, pulling his wife to him just as tightly as Rose was clinging to his leather clad form. If Rose had had it her way she probably would have taken him on the floor of that hallway, regardless of witnesses, but they were interrupted by the sound of Jackie Tyler's voice harrumphing and Rose groaned in deep crippling frustration."Well glad to see you've kissed and made up, but John, you git! What did you do? My Rosie comes home in the middle of the night, white as a sheet, looking like she's seen a ghost! I was going against my better judgment steppin' aside for you two and if you have laid one mean hand on her! Or hurt her in any way! I'll…"  
"Mum, John didn't do anything, we're fine, I swear, if John was treating me even a fraction of how Jimmy Stone did, I wouldn't stick around to take it. I learned my lesson." Rose declared, making a show of holding onto the Doctor's arm.  
Satisfied for now with Rose's answer she indicated that she was going to be stepping out for a while, though not without giving the Doctor a frightening, icy cold, glare first. The Doctor shivered slightly and was reminded of this planet's mother bears. The Doctor had been partially grateful for the interruption earlier as he felt that for a minute he was losing control of himself with Rose. When your life was misery it was too easy to give into temptation and slip into anything that would prove a distraction from reality. The Doctor straightened his collar and joined Rose in watching Jackie leave. The Doctor recalled from John's memories that the first time he had been brought to the Powell Estate, Rose's mother had tried to proposition him, not understanding his relationship with Rose at the time. As a result, John had still been a little uncomfortable around Jackie. So it was no sad thing for the Doctor when he watched her walk away down the hall to do whatever errands she had. Closing the door the doctor set to work looking around the apartment for why he had come in the first place. Sadly, his original intent was not to find Rose and check on her, he reasoned that where ever she was, she was probably fine. His motive for coming was to hunt down what was hunting him. Though probably best not to tell Rose that. To be honest he remembered that Rose's mother lived in the building but not which apartment. John's memories were a bit fuzzy on that. The Doctor could only guess that John relied more on Rose to lead him around with issues involving her cougar of a mother.

 

The Doctor was actually more concern or rather annoyed with where Jack had run off to. It was irritating having to do all this foot work by himself and Rose was too green to be much more than a damsel in distress at this point. Where was that amorous idiot? He had not heard from Jack since they parted company last night. He knew the man had a tendency for distractions but he wasn't this bad about checking in. The Doctor was pulled from his thoughts when he heard the cat door he had just been looking through down the tiny hall rattle.  
"What's that, then? You have a cat?" asked the Doctor, wondering what sounded like it was now scurrying about the apartment.  
"No." replied Rose who had walked into the kitchen to get a cup of tea for the two of them. Now that she had the Doctor alone in her mother's small apartment, she desperately wanted to have the talk about their relationship that was overdue. Rose was very nervous and actually grateful that the Doctor had begun with talking small talk, it would be a good segue into the real issue they had to discuss. She was so engrossed with the tea that she did not see the Auton arm jump off the floor and grab the Doctor by the throat. As it tried to strangle the life from him, the Doctor flared around the room, while Rose continued on nervously about cats unaware of the Doctor's plight.  
"We did have a cat, but now they're just strays. They come in off the estate." Rose breathed out and then said  
"But enough about cats, Doctor. I really want to know where we stand as a couple. I mean I know that it's weird and you're alien now with more memories. But I don't want to give up on us yet. I mean maybe we can make it work. I'll understand if you want a little space between us. I'm not expecting you to have to go right back to where we were, but…"  
As Rose continued to talk she came into the living room with the two mugs of tea, placing them on the coffee table next to the sofa where the Doctor was currently sitting. She hoped that he was ready to settle things between them. She then noticed that the Doctor appeared to be pretending to strangle himself with the same plastic arm that she had brought back to the flat with her last night.  
"I thought Mum threw that in the bin. Ugh, give a man a plastic hand. Anyway, I don't even know your real name. Doctor who?" Asked Rose. When the Doctor did not answer and instead continued to look up at her and 'act' like he was being strangled, Rose lost her cool. She was trying to discuss their future as wife and husband. And he was acting like a 9 year old boys.

"Doctor this is a really serious conversation we have been avoiding and I don't think you are taking it seriously at all!" barked Rose. At that moment the Doctor managed to finally free himself of the strangling disembodied arm and threw it off him. To the shock of the two of them the arm stopped in midair and its hand grabbed onto Rose's face! Alarmed the Doctor began to pull at the arm trying to free the distressed Rose. All he managed to do was pull Rose down on top of him as they fell onto the coffee table next to them. The flimsy thing broke under the couple's weight and broke into a dozen pieces. Rolling around on the floor the Doctor managed to get on top of Rose and jabbed the palm of the menacing hand with the Sonic Screwdriver. The thing let go of Rose's face and with another flash of the Sonic device the hand went limp, freezing once more into harmless plastic. Breathing heavily the two stared at each other as they sat on the floor in a very compromising position. The Doctor then got off of Rose and tossed her the arm.  
"It's all right, I've stopped it. There you go, you see? Armless." Smiled the Doctor.  
"Do you think?" replied Rose, she then hit the Doctor with the arm.  
"Ow!" complaint the Doctor, he then thought to add in a comment about spouse abuse, but stopped himself. Domestics were dangerous and so was any hint to matrimony with this pink and yellow human. That was the second time that he had to save her life in under 24 hours and this situation was obviously too much for a new companion. It might seem rough or mean to Rose but he could not risk her safety by letting her tag along. This had to end now before it got too painful. The Doctor then got up and walked out the door of the flat. Rose sat there for a moment then remembered the situation and took after the Doctor following him down the staircase.  
"Hold on a minute! You can't just go swanning off." Yelled Rose at the man who was her husband.  
"Yes I can. Here I am. This is me, swanning off. See you." Shouted the Doctor back as he continued down the stairs quickening his pace to lose Rose."But that arm was moving. It tried to kill me." Rose replied not ready to be left behind.  
"Ten out of ten for observation." snarked the Doctor, really pounding down the steps now as Rose was hot on his trail.  
"You can't just walk away. That's not fair. You've got to tell me what's going on." Rose demanded of the man who was supposed to be her partner.  
"No I don't." Said the Doctor as he busted out of the stairwell doors.

"All right, then. I'll go to the police. I'll tell everyone. You said, if I did that, I'd get people killed. So, your choice. Tell me, or I'll start talking." Threaten Rose, desperate to get him to stop moving and talk to her. This situation was dangerous enough without her being half cocked. Rose did not yet realize that the Doctor had no intention of taking her with him, but simply thought that he was being difficult.  
"Is that supposed to sound tough?" asked the Doctor rolling his eyes."Sort of." Rose replied a bit unsure.  
"Doesn't work." He clipped and continued to walk on looking in front of him. Rose grabbed onto his arm and pulled at it, but the Doctor did not stop and just dragged Rose behind him.  
"I'm your wife, dammit! You're supposed to tell me everything! I've seen enough, you can tell me! How am I gonna help you if you leave me in the dark, yeah? I'm in this as much as you. I mean that plastic arm before, it came after me?" shouted Rose a bit desperate now. She was starting to feel that he wasn't just walking away from her physically. Frustrated with the human clinging to him he barked,  
"After you? Oh, suddenly the entire world revolves around you. You were just an accident. You got in the way, that's all. Look this morning, I was tracking it down, it was tracking me down. The only reason it fixed on you is 'cos you were with me."  
"So what you're saying is, the entire world revolves around you? " Asked Rose with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

"Sort of." Stated the Doctor. Rose rolled her eyes and sarcastically declared,"I married a narcissist too?"  
"Sort of, yeah." Replied the Doctor now at the end of his patience in dealing with her. Rose wanted to know more about the situation, perhaps if she was more informed the Doctor would find her more useful and right now she was feeling too useless in the way of knowledge. The thought of being useless scared her and she piped up,  
"Before you said that was living plastic! If we're going to go with the living plastic, still sounds unbelievable, how did you kill it?" The Doctor, even when frustrated, could never resist an opportunity to show off how superior his knowledge was, stated,  
"The thing controlling it projects life into the arm. I cut off the signal, dead. Kind of like your radio controlled toys, but thought controlled by something that wants to start trouble for your lot and planet. Long Story though, ta." He pulled himself free but Rose reached for his arm again as he was trying to walk away. She then grabbed for his hand and looked him in the eye with a searching gaze.  
"I sort of know what you are Doctor, but really though, who are you?" The Doctor looked down at Rose's hand and squeezed it, Rose couldn't help but smile at the soft pressure.  
"Do you know like we were saying about the Earth revolving? It's like when you were a kid. The first time they tell you the world's turning and you just can't quite believe it because everything looks like it's standing still. I can feel it. The turn of the Earth. The ground beneath our feet is spinning at a thousand miles an hour, and the entire planet is hurtling round the sun at sixty seven thousand miles an hour, and I can feel it. We're falling through space, you and me, clinging to the skin of this tiny little world, and if we let go. That's who I am. Now, forget me, Rose Tyler. Go home. It's too dangerous for you." The Doctor dropped Rose's hand and began to walk away yet again. Rose came up behind him and clung to his hand which the Doctor tried to force free.  
"You're not going anywhere, you git! At least not without me! I made a promise to you!" shouted Rose in earnest.  
"You made a promise to a dead man, a personality that was created as a disguise, Rose. This is me, not John!" Stated the Doctor. He had hoped it wouldn't have had to come to this. But he had to be cruel to be kind to this one. He couldn't have a wife, it was too dangerous. Monsters had come after her and they didn't even know she was his wife. Rose not willing to take this lying down roared back,  
"You're not dead! I know you are the Doctor but the Doctor is also John. I love you because I love John, and I love John because I love you, don't you see that. I want all of you! If I'm only willing to love one part of you and not the rest, even if I don't understand it all yet, then it's not love! Or are Time Lords too Mister Spock to understand human emotions?"  
"I'm sorry, Rose." Said the Doctor looking at her with such pity in his icy-blue eyes. He freed himself from Rose's grasp and turned the corner where, unknown to Rose, the TARDIS waited. Rose was rendered speechless and just stared at him as he rounded the corner. She wanted to chase after him but within seconds of him disappearing from her sight she heard the familiar sound of the TARDIS's engines and knew that he was gone. Rose felt empty inside.


	8. Chapter 8 – The Lonely Rose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose has been left on her own with her thoughts.

Complicated  
by The Plot Thinens   
Chapter 8 – The Lonely Rose

The wind whipped cold air around the buildings of the Powell Estate and Rose wrapped herself in a hug as she sat on a playground swing nearby. This playground had always been a source of comfort and joy to her as a little girl and maybe that was why she was there. She looked at the gold wedding band on her right ring finger and sighed. This certainly was not the fairytale marriage she dreamed of as a naïve child. Rose looked beyond the Powell Estate to the obscured horizon of the city. She had considered going back to the home she and John had made near the university, but the thought of going back to that empty house was too painful to bare. The lonely halls would just be a reminder of what she had lost and how she failed in the last promise she said she would keep to her husband. Maybe the Doctor was right and John was just simply gone. Gone and replaced, leaving only a man wearing John's skin walking about, cold and unfeeling to mock her and her heartache. He wanted nothing to do with her now that he changed. Would it be easier and less painful to simply give up now and just consider herself a widow? Rather than suffering his indifference, if he came back at all. Silent tears began to roll down her face. Was she expected to move on and pretend that the happiest times of her life never happened? She had been so in love, was still in love. Marrying John although they had not known each other long was not a decision she had made idly. She had considered that marrying a man twice her age would probably mean that she would eventually end up being a young widow. But she had not been expecting to be one within less than 3 months of her vows. It was so cruel of fate and she just wanted to be left alone to try to recover. Unfortunately, fate had other plans for her and who should come strolling her way but Mickey Smith.

Mickey had just finished a long shift at the auto repair shop and was looking forward to a relaxing 8 hours of sleep. The Powell Estate was just in sight and his bed was calling his name. He rounded the corner and was coming up on his apartment building's playground for the Estate's younger tenants. The bright colors of the playground toys put a smile on his face and he walked onward. Once he had walked past the slide, the swing set became visible. He then spotted what appeared to be an adult making use of one of the swings for a seat. They seemed to be very upset whoever they were. It was then that recognition dawned on him. He knew that blond hair anywhere.  
"Rose? What's wrong, babe?" Asked Mickey Smith as he ran up to the misty eyed Rose. Mickey was her ex-boyfriend who had actually been her boyfriend until she had met John. Mickey was a safe, sweet and handsome man who deserved nothing but nice things to happen to him as far as Rose was concern. Rose had realized very quickly that she was head over heels for John early on in their acquaintanceship. And rather than hurting Mickey and stringing him along, she had broken off their relationship. Switching one man named Smith for another. Mickey was heartbroken but he respected Rose's wishes. Though he skeptically questioned just how happy a man like John could possibly make her. In spite of those feelings he had been so gracious and even told her that if she ever needed a friend, he would be there for her. She could sing his praise all day on any other day, but she really would have rather been left alone. Rose not knowing what else to say answered his question almost without thinking in her daze,  
"He left me, well sort of, I don't know. It's complicated." Mickey looked at Rose with pity in his eyes. Rose was getting tired of that. Mickey then said but not trying to be mean to her,  
"Rose I told you it was a bad match up. I mean he was over 20 years older than you"  
"More like almost 900." She scoffed. Mickey not knowing what to say to that just continued on his train of thought, being firm but trying to put it as gently as possible,  
"I'm so sorry, Rose. But you see, I hate to say it again… but it's like I told you, he'd get bored of you and move on. He probably never loved you to begin with. You know men like him are only after one thing. He got that and moved on to the next young thing, just like I said. I've seen it before. Old gits like em marry for a backup while they fool around with whatever tail comes their way. That's just how these things usually play out."  
He had it all wrong. Rose couldn't stomach this at all. Mickey didn't know what John was like. He didn't understand the circumstances and she couldn't stand to hear him bad mouth her beloved John. He was nothing like how Mickey thought him out to be! John was kind, thoughtful and nothing but a loving and devoted partner. Not a dirty old man just after sex with a pretty young thing. She'd been the one to make the first move after all. She even had to do some convincing to get him past his moral compass about their age difference. In short, he was a sweet shy man not a pervert. She knew that Mickey was only trying to help but her voice probably came out more forceful and strong than she meant it.  
"You're wrong! John is the sweetest man that ever lived and I love him, all of him. Just because he's showing me more of himself lately doesn't mean I love him any less. And I know he loves me! I don't care if I have to move heaven and Earth and every planet, somehow we're going to work this out." Proclaimed Rose.

"Then why isn't he here?" Mickey retorted not to be malicious but he honestly felt that Rose was a scorned woman who was fooling herself into seeing something in a man that was not there. She needed help and maybe he was the one who could help her and make her happy after all. Rose began to tear up some more at what she felt were cruel words. Mickey grabbed for her hands tenderly and squeezed them gently.  
"Rose, I'm sorry. I didn't want to upset you. Look, I know a lot is going on right now for you, but just sitting here feeling sorry for yourself is not doing you any good at all. Are you hungry? Let's get a bite to eat, my treat, hmm? Everything can be put on hold until you have a full stomach, and then you can start tackling this problem." Smiled Mickey to Rose. He was really hoping that he was getting through to her, because he genuinely wanted Rose to be happy.  
Rose looked at Mickey and had to admit that what he was suggesting sounded like a pretty good idea. She hadn't eaten anything all day. Rose had cried so much today and she was tired of it. Moping about was going to get her nowhere and a distraction, although brief would be a welcomed idea.

"Okay Mickey, for old times' sake. Just let me go get my coat upstairs. I'll be back in a mo." She smiled at him and ran off to her mother's apartment. Mickey grinned happily as he watched her disappear into the nearby apartment building. He wasn't feeling so tired anymore and he supposed that he could cheat on his bed for a little while. He stuck his hands in his pockets and looked around. He shifted to one foot and then the other before he noticed something slowly moving towards him. A fairly big bin on wheels was rolling toward him but there was no wind. He thought that odd and wondered if the bin was on a slight incline. He laughed and put his hand up to stop it before it could tap him. He grabbed it and then tried to push it away, but to his surprise the darn thing was stuck to his hand. He pulled and tugged but nothing seemed to work. It was like his hand was covered in some kind of sticky sap that was gluing him to the bin. He tried to pull his hand free with his other hand but quickly found that hand stuck too. Now a bit panicked he tried to run away with the thing attached to him. To his shock he was then whipped back to the bin and to his horror swallowed up by the thing when its lid opened and closed over him. It burped.  
Rose had got her coat and made her way down the stairs. She still felt like she was just going through the motions but knew that it was good for her to try and do something that was normal. If she kept thinking about her crumbling marriage she probably would be finding her own mind starting to crumble too. Resigned to spend some time with a positive male influence, she tried her best to push thoughts of the Doctor to the back of her mind, for now. She was still feeling out of it and she would be fooling herself if she thought that she could suppress all her worries about the Doctor. She would just try to focus on the current and most normal problems of her not getting along with her spouse and not on the possible abandonment and growing lack of a future together. Call it denial, but it was all that was keeping her together right now. She pushed open the doors and saw Mickey waiting for her close by. She glanced up at him but barely took any notice as she was deep in thought. She fell in step with him and they started walking down the street.

What did Rose want to eat? Something fast and not requiring a lot of effort to eat would be nice. At first she was going to request a trip to the local chippy, but she thought of John. Chips would only remind her of her first "date" with John where she paid. She remembered that night well. What could have been a horrible experience was turned into a gallant display of heroism by a shy Doctor John Smith. They had grabbed Rose's hand bag and had her pressed up against the wall of a building on the side street. Rose had managed to call out a few times before she was muzzled, but if someone had heard her they did not care. Rose wasn't stupid enough to have been walking alone this late at night but the random woman she had paired up with to walk with had left her to her fate once Rose had been grabbed. The fowl creatures had her money and now seeing that Rose was an attractive mark were debating doing other things to her when a man had shouted at them. Rose recognized him from the school store and felt a wave of relief that she was no longer alone with these strange "men", but she feared that he probably couldn't do much if just being there hadn't scared off the muggers.  
Now that John had gotten the muggers' attention, he had realized that he'd reacted without thinking and didn't have a plan to defend himself or the woman from harm. John would be in as much danger as the woman he was trying to defend if he could not find some weapon to even the odds of four against one. He looked about and spotted an old cricket ball in a bin next to him of all things. The moment he had seen the thing it was almost as if his hand had had a mind of its own and his hand threw the ball in the direction of Rose's four assailants. It hadn't hit any of the muggers and they laughed at him for his obvious failure.

It turned out that the ball did not need to hit any of the attackers to achieve John's goal. If the muggers had been paying any attention to the chain reaction that just throwing that ball had caused, they probably would have run away from John instead of just laughing at him. The ball had gone over the four men's heads, bounded off a trash can lid then off a wall. Just behind the muggers, the ball hit some scaffolding at what would have been considered an impossible angle to hit from just a blind throw by a normal human. The scaffolding supports on the building gave way and a pile of sandbags sitting on the top of the scaffolding fell and landed on the four men. Rose's location against the opposite building had provided the perfect shielding and she was now standing unscathed in front of a pile of sandbags covering the four men. They weren't severely hurt but they weren't happy either, fortunately they were all pinned down and had nothing to do but wait for the cops John called on his mobile to come. John put down his mobile and turned his attention to the woman he had saved now that he had done everything he could do to ensure her safety.  
"Are you alright?" John asked her trying to calm down the adrenaline he still had pumping in his system.

"Yes, yes." Rose managed to gasp out as her thoughts collected themselves. Rose clasped at her heart trying to catch her breath. It was amazing what the emotions of switching from fear to relief did to a person. She felt a flood of joy as she walked over to join John in the safety of his company. She was very impressed with the amazing shot he had made.  
"Lucky shot, yeah?" asked John grinning at her.  
"That was luck? You're an extraordinary man if that was just luck!" Shouted Rose with glee. It had been dark in the side street and John in truth did not see who was in trouble when he happened by. He just knew that he had to do something to help. He had spotted a woman running away from the direction of the side street in distress and had run the way she came to investigate. When he saw the trouble the woman was in he could have just kept walking but that wasn't in his nature. When everyone else ran away he would make a stand and do the right thing, even if it would put him in danger.

A police car rolled onto the street and even the harsh lights of the car couldn't diminish the vision of loveliness that now had materialized in front of him. John had gasped, first at her beauty and then in recognition that he had just saved the life of a person he saw pretty much every other day. It was indeed a small world and the only reason he could fathom that he never noticed her glorious beauty before was due to the distraction of being forever late for a lesson whenever he was at her store. John had told Rose later on that he probably would have started rambling like an idiot as a nervous tick but the cops had swooped up their attentions and they had police reports to fill out. Answering the police's questions was actually how they first learned one another's names. John was growing worried that he might make a fool of himself in front of this beautiful woman who was stealing more of his senses with every passing minute he could see her. After all the statements were taken he had set himself to go on his merry way, but Rose stopped him.  
"Hey wait a minute, where are you going? Are you leaving before I can have a chance to properly thank you?" asked Rose, John nervously smiled at Rose and replied,  
"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't think of that. I'm off in the clouds most days." John looked her in the eye but kept having to look away ever time he felt his ears start to blush.  
"Are you hungry? There's this Chippy on the next street over. That's where I was actually headed before all this. If you don't mind, I'd like to buy you dinner…as thanks." She smiled nervously, usually she was confident speaking to men but now she was feeling like some silly preteen asking a boy out for the first time. For Pete's sake it was just a gesture of thanks, maybe it was the situation she just narrowly avoided that had her on edge.  
John had accepted, although as she recalled, he had been very shy about it. They had their fill of chips at the restaurant and their romance began that night. Rose pulled herself out of her daydream about John. She then realized that if things for her and the Doctor ended tragically then she might have to give up chips to help forget what would with time become a painful memory. Definitely not chips for dinner today.  
"I fancy pizza." Said Rose, so lost in thought that she was oblivious to the fact that her ex boyfriend was clearly shiny like plastic. The Auton Mickey smiled the most stupid grin and parroted the new word trying it on his plastic lips,  
"Pizza! P-p-p-pizza!" To which Rose retorted,  
"Or Chinese."  
"Pizza!" said plastic Mickey again.  
"Alright, have it your way, you're buying after all." Rose stated as they walked toward the closest pizzeria.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's notes: You know this chapter could have gone another direction but I just couldn't resist making Mickey get eaten by a trash bin again, heh. It is one of my favorite gags in that first episode. It's so horrifying a concept being trapped and eaten but because it's just a trash bin, it's funny. Anyway, I felt that after the last chapter's drama, the story needed some comedy relief and Mickey is just the man to do it. Also I feel I cheated you out of the beginning of the story to get to the part I wanted to tell. So I'll be making it up to you with some flash backs that I'll squeeze in when appropriate to flavor the story. It also helps keep the chapters from being too short I find. So if you actually kept up with the story this far then good for you. You get parts of the story that are probably the reason why you were attracted to the story description in the first place. Cheers!


	9. Chapter 9 – The Bad Date and the Eye-Spy game

Complicated  
by The Plot Thinens   
Chapter 9 – The Bad Date and the Eye-Spy game

Rose and Mickey were sitting in the middle of an Italian restaurant. At first Rose had just wanted to get takeout. The place they had ended up going to was a little more upscale and Rose felt bad being too much of an expensive 'date', but Mickey had insisted and Rose wasn't in a mood to be difficult. Rose decided that she would just order the cheapest thing on the dinner menu instead. At least that way she wouldn't feel too much like a freeloader. They had ordered their food or rather Rose ordered. Mickey claimed that he wasn't very hungry. He just sat there and smiled. Rose felt guilty eating while he just watched but she was so hungry. She felt drained from low blood sugar so she continued to dig in with her fork and knife. She could always let him pick if he changed his mind. Rose finished chewing the food in her mouth and stared at the remains of her pineapple pizza.  
"Thanks, Mickey this is really sweet of you. I mean you're the nicest Ex I've ever had, that's for sure."  
Smiled Rose, but she didn't look up from her plate. She was a little nervous but she couldn't understand why, it was just Mickey for Pete's sake. He was as harmless as they came. That was part of the reason she had dated him in the first place after her last abusive relationship with Jimmy Stone had ended. Maybe if she opened up a little to Mickey she would feel less nervous, just not too many details. If she were vague enough she could talk about her problems a bit without risking her friend's safety.  
"It's just John and I are going through a rough time now but I feel…" began Rose.  
"So where did you meet this Doctor bloke?" interrupted Mickey, he clearly didn't seem interested in what Rose had to say about her marital problems.  
"I'm sorry, what?" asked Rose. Rose was confused, she could have sworn that she never mentioned the Doctor to Mickey, but she was rather out of it for the walk over. Maybe she let it slip when she was talking about John earlier and she knew that a lack of food in her stomach did tend to make her a bit listless. Or was he referring to John's title of Doctor, but Mickey already knew how she met John.  
"Because I reckon it started just before that shop fire last night, am I right? Was he something to do with that?" Questioned Mickey. Now Rose was sure that something smelt fishy. How would Mickey have known that she and the Doctor had anything to do with the shop fire last night? He couldn't have guessed. She wagered that it would be best to play coy for now.  
"No." she answered maybe a bit too fast. Rose inwardly kicked herself, her 'no' might as well have been a yes. That had been a kneejerk reaction and now she had pretty much admitted that she had knowledge of the Doctor and what he was up to.  
"Come on. What was he doing there?" asked Mickey again attempting to put on some charm. Well she couldn't take back what she had hinted to now, the only logical step was damage control. She had to convince him not to ask her anymore questions for his own safety. Trying to be firm Rose replied,  
"I'm not going on about it, Mickey. Really, I'm not, because, I know it sounds daft, but I don't think it's safe. I think it's dangerous to say anything at all." Mickey now seemed a bit miffed, but he poured on yet more charm all the while having that same silly grin on his face.  
"But you can trust me, sweetheart. Babe, sugar, babe, sugar. You can tell me anything. Tell me about the Doctor and what he's planning, and I can help you, Rose. Because that's all I really want to do, sweetheart, babe, babe, sugar, sweetheart." Said Mickey in what was trying to come off as a seductive tone but with an odd almost inhuman twitch that was anything but seductive. Mickey then placed his hand over Rose's sleeve and that's when Rose got the wrong idea.  
"Mickey, I'm flattered. Really, that you are still interested in me. And I appreciate your support, but I'm a married woman and you need to respect some boundaries now. John and I are still together." Rose stated firmly as she tried to pull away. She might have been trying to convince herself more of the last part than Mickey though. Mickey's grip tightened a bit more on her arm and jus then was the time the waiter decided to come over. Rose and Mickey were locked in a stare off and now Rose was starting to realize that she had been ignoring some very obvious things that were wrong with Mickey.  
"Your champagne." Declared the waiter. Mickey not breaking eye contact with Rose and very annoyed said,  
"We didn't order any champagne." 'Mickey' tightened his grip and demanded to Rose,  
"Where's the Doctor?" The waiter walked around the table to Rose and stated,  
"Madam, your champagne." Rose was now a little distressed from the growing pressure of Mickey clamping down on her arm and not looking at the waiter she declared,  
"It's not ours. Mickey, what is it? What's wrong? " Rose was now very worried and redoubled her efforts to pull free. Mickey, totally unfeeling to her struggle and growing fear hissed,  
"I need to find out how much you know, so where is he?" The waiter now sounding a bit put off announced to the two,  
"Doesn't anybody want this champagne?"  
"Look, we didn't order it." Snarled 'Mickey'. 'Mickey' was now completely losing his patience with the waiter for interrupting his interrogation and turned to the man only to realize with great surprise that it was, in fact, the Doctor. The plastic Mickey jumped up and snarled  
"Ah, Gotcha." The Doctor pulled Rose up from the table behind him and began shaking the bottle of champagne,  
"Sorry to break up your date, but here have one on the house. No hard feelings." Smiled the Doctor. He very quickly popped opened the fizzing bottle of alcohol and the cork flew through the air, hitting 'Mickey' in the face. To Rose's horror the cork was absorbed into his forehead only to be spit out of his mouth seconds later.  
"Anyway." said the plastic Mickey as his hand morphed into some kind of chopper. Rose screamed and stepped back as the Doctor ran forward and grabbed at the Auton Mickey's head. After a few strong tugs its head popped off.  
"Don't think that is going to stop me." hissed the severed plastic head cradled in the Doctors arms. That was the final straw and onlookers began to panic and scream as they made a mad dash for the exits. The headless body began to flail about indiscriminately smashing anything in its path searching blindly for the Doctor. The few stunned guests that remained watching the scene Rose managed to herd out by shouting,  
"Everyone out! Out now! Get out!" It seemed to work and the Doctor and Rose made a hasty retreat through the kitchen in the back of the restaurant. The Auton was now catching up to them and the Doctor soniced the door shut just in time to watch a sizeable dent smash into the door coming from the other side.

"Alright then, no time to waste, into the TARDIS." Ordered the Doctor. He did not seem worried at all, which was a stark contrast to Rose. Her survival instinct told her to remain close to this man or risk death. What a paradox that the safest place that you could be around a man, who always it seemed was surrounded by danger, was right next to said man. The Doctor led Rose over to the familiar blue box that he had parked behind the restaurant that they had just 'left early'. With all chivalry and pomp of a man with all the time in the world, the Doctor unlocked the TARDIS and stepped aside to let Rose in. It was too dangerous to leave this human alone on her own so he would have to take her with him again. Honestly he could meet a thousand humans and never see the same one again, but this pink and yellow human, it was like fate was throwing her at him.  
Rose had run into the TARDIS as soon as she was granted entrance. It was still a disorienting experience getting into the TARDIS but now she was starting to get used to it. She looked back outside the doors of the TARDIS to see that the plastic body had broken through the kitchen door and was running for them. The doctor closed the door before the thing could come in and its pounding could be heard on the door, but it was so muffled for plastic pounding on wood. It was almost as if the TARDIS wasn't really made of wood at all.

"It's not going to get in, yeah?" asked Rose for reassurance. The Doctor smiled and declared  
"The assembled hoards of Genghis Khan couldn't get through that door, and believe me, they've tried." Understanding that she was now safe and out of danger she took in a deep breath and looked at the Doctor."You came back." Stated Rose feeling touched by the gesture and a bit disbelieving that he was here.

"Yeah well can't help it if you're a magnet for plastic creatures. That's three times I've had to save you in one day now, Rose Tyler." Replied the Doctor as he followed Rose into the TARDIS. His response made Rose feel like he had only ran into her by coincidence, which was probably the case. She sighed and sat down on the jump seat. Was he on purposely going out of his way to make her feel like she was nothing or was this just all part of the Doctor's 'charm'? She mused sarcastically. The Doctor was still on the subject of Autons as he placed the plastic Mickey head on the console.  
"You see, the arm was too simple, but the head's perfect. I can use it to trace the signal back to the original source. " explained the Doctor as he tinkered with the head. Rose looked a bit confused and pointed to the console  
"And you can find that source with this the TARIS?" asked Rose. The Doctor rolled his eyes a bit as he turned to Rose and replied  
"It's called the Tardis. That's Time And Relative Dimension In Space." She nodded her head and made an effort to put that name to memory. Rose's mind was rebooting now that she was out of harm's way and her mind flashed to Mickey Smith. She began to burst into tears. He wasn't her boyfriend anymore but that didn't mean that she didn't still love him as a friend. What had happened to him? She already experienced firsthand how deadly and unfeeling these Autons were. She'd ask the Doctor, surely he would know.  
"Did they kill him? Mickey? Did they kill Mickey? Is he dead?" she implored the Doctor for information through her tears.  
"Oh. I didn't think of that." Said the Doctor a little dumbstruck. The victim that the Autons had imitated honestly had not crossed his mind. He was more focused on the bigger picture.  
"He's my ex-boyfriend; still my friend. You pulled off his head. They copied him and you didn't even think? And now you're just going to let him melt?" She shouted indignantly and pointed to the head on the console. The Doctor turned his head and began to panic as he dashed to the plastic head.

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no!" he shouted as he set the TARDIS in motion. Rose secured herself down on the jump seat this time, her body seemed to know what was coming before her head did.  
"What're you doing?" asked Rose. The Doctor pulled a lever and declared,  
"Following the signal. It's fading. Wait a minute, I've got it. No, no, no, no, no, no, no! Almost there. Almost there. Here we go!" The Doctor scurried about madly around the circular console as he fiddled with the controls trying to lock in on the now fading signal. He got all that he could from the head's frequency and would have to settle with the best guess that the TARDIS could calculate as to the location of the signal's origin. The TARDIS came to stop and before Rose could even say another word he was running for the doors. Rose was about to say that the Auton was out there but remembered that this was a spaceship and all that shaking the TARDIS just did probably meant that they were in another location again. Now that she had reasoned that out, she ran after the Doctor before he could get too far ahead of her. She'd be damned if she let him out of her sight again.  
"I lost the signal, I got so close." Said the Doctor feeling exasperated. He stormed up to some guard railing overlooking a river. He pounded his hands down on the old railing and cursed himself for letting his conversation with Rose distract him from the task at hand. Everything in his life recently seemed to be made difficult thanks to his association with this human female. If the Doctor had been in a better mood or had even warmed up to the idea of human matrimony, he might have made a comment to himself about that being what every male who tied the knot thought. His tunnel vision now lifting he took a look around at his surroundings. He then noticed that they had landed near the Thames. In fact, the TARDIS had been parked here in the same spot just the other night.  
"Ah, Westminster. Lovely, right back where we started this little adventure, just like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, love that film. I trained Toto, you know." The Doctor stated to Rose over his shoulder. Despite the fact that he was shooting off random fact about himself it was clear that the Doctor was irritated and trying to distract himself from that emotion with sarcastic and snarky comments. Out of ideas for now, the Doctor rambled on about nothing, it was therapeutic for him. However, Rose wasn't listening. She looked out onto the water of the Thames and sighed. She was just so relieved that the magic ship had 'disappeared and reappeared' them away from that plastic monstrosity.  
"If we're somewhere else, what about that headless thing? It's still on the loose." Rose declared a bit worried for the public's safety. The Doctor was annoyed with Rose for interrupting his story about American 1930s film history and replied,  
"It melted with the head. Are you going to witter on all night?" Rose's thoughts of the plastic Mickey again led her mind back to the original that for all she knew was dead. Her mind flashed to images of a funeral and a grave, would they even find a body? What about all the people besides herself who will miss him and be devastated at his loss?  
"I'll have to tell his mother." Sniffed Rose, the Doctor looked on at her confused as to what random thing she was going on about. Rose was affronted by his forgetfulness and insensitivity,  
"Mickey. I'll have to tell his mother he's dead. And you just went and forgot him, again! You really are alien." Snapped Rose, visibly upset. The Doctor from what she saw so far was the opposite of John. John would never have been this insensitive or forgetful. It just made this whole unfair situation that she had been thrown into sting all the more. Rose's anger took the form of a disapproving glare that momentarily unnerved the Doctor, but he was too angry and irritated himself to give Rose and inch. The Doctor took an offensive stance and looked Rose dead in the eye.  
"Look, if I did forget some kid called Mickey…" He said in a firm tone.  
"Yeah, he's not a kid." She interrupted and the Doctor raised his voice over hers and continued,  
"It's because I'm trying to save the life of every stupid ape blundering on top of this planet, all right?" Rose was upset at him referring to her as a stupid ape but couldn't deny the severity of the situation once she had been reminded what was at stake.  
"All right." She clipped now on the defensive, she had just about had it with this man.  
"Yes, it is!" snipped the Doctor. Rose not wanting to back off or look at the Doctor until she calmed down raised her eyes upward and then they moved to the Doctor Spaceship. It would serve as a fine distraction from the Doctor. It was probably the first time she ever really taken a good look at it. Usually when she was in front of it her mind was on other pressing matters. It was such an odd thing to be a spaceship. Odder still and out of place was the glowing text above its doors.  
"What's a police public call box?" she asked in spite of her recent anger. Rose was too young to realize that the form this ship was taking was actually from her country's very own past. Upon being asked about his beloved ship, the Doctor turned to the battered blue box with a smile. Rose watched as he lovingly caressed it and a twinge of envy went through her, she didn't know why. She was furious at him and what did she care if this Doctor man was paying sweeter attentions to an alien spaceship than to his own 'technically-still-his-wife'? The more she watched him interact with the box the more her anger and negative thoughts started to fade away. It seemed that the Doctor's joy for his transportation was catching and she couldn't help but admire the odd and wonderful thing too.  
"It's a telephone box from the 1950s. It's a disguise." The Doctor smiled in an almost comical way. Rose also thought that it was comical that this space alien would think that his spaceship taking on such an out of date and out of place form would count as a good disguise. The Doctor probably could have doted on about his TARDIS all night but Rose changed the subject to the emergency at hand. Which was currently still invading aliens threatening Earth.  
"Okay. And this, this living plastic. What's it got against us?" asked Rose. The Doctor came out of his daze and got down to the business again of being a superior uppity alien know-it-all and replied,  
"Nothing. It loves you. You've got such a good planet. Lots of smoke and oil, plenty of toxins and dioxins in the air, perfect. Just what the Nestene Consciousness needs. It's food stock was destroyed in the war, all its protein plants rotted, so Earth, dinner!" Rose was horrified. She didn't want her planet to be used as an alien's dinner.  
"Any way of stopping it?" She inquired, after all the fate of her planet was at stake. The Doctor being so proud of himself produced a vial of blue liquid and put it up to the blonde's face.  
"Anti-plastic." He smiled, waving the vial a bit. Rose looked at him a little disbelievingly, it all seemed either too ridiculously easy an answer or just plain ridiculous.  
"Anti-plastic." She parroted back. At least the fluid's name left no confusing what it did, which made it easier for Rose. Got to stop a living plastic creature? Then of course use anti-plastic.  
"Anti-plastic. But first I've got to find it. How can you hide something that big in a city this small?" asked the Doctor to no one in particular. He was genuinely stumped and a bit annoyed at himself as he surveyed London from where he was standing.  
"Hold on. Hide What?" Asked Rose, she wanted to be useful but she was having trouble keeping up with the Doctor's fast pace talking. It also didn't help that every time he opened his mouth he either talked to her like everything he said was so evident or without providing her cheat notes to keep up with.  
"The transmitter. The Consciousness is controlling every single piece of plastic, so it needs a transmitter to boost the signal." The Doctor explained looking quite frustrated with himself.  
"What's it look like?" asked Rose wanting any information she could. The Doctor started to walk back over to the guard railing besides the Thames and gestures a circular shape to Rose over his head as he spoke,  
"Like a transmitter. Round and massive, slap bang in the middle of London." The Doctor was now standing in front of the London Eye, which was right across the river, but he wasn't looking at it. He was too busy explaining to Rose,  
"A huge circular metal structure like a dish, like a wheel. Radial. Close to where we're standing. Must be completely invisible." The massive and brightly lighted structure was impossible to not catch a viewer's attention at night and Rose was no exception. The second her eyes caught sight of it she knew without a doubt that this was what the Doctor was describing. And she gestured to it with her eyes and a slight nod of the head. The Doctor catching her signal turned to face the giant Ferris wheel, but seemed to look right past it.

"What, what?" The Doctor asked, truly puzzled. Rose gestured again to the enormous structure. She couldn't believe his obliviousness. It was bloody obvious, why didn't he see what was right in front of him as clear as day? If she had stopped to really ponder on that thought, she might have found it quite believable that he would miss something so apparent based on his handling of other subjects in his life. The Doctor looked again. Nope, still not clicking.  
"What? What is it? What?" He asked again not getting the joke. Rose rolled her eyes.  
'Oh …come… on!' she thought to herself. The Doctor looked behind him again and finally the penny dropped.  
"Oh." He breathed as he looked again to the structure that was the answer to his question.

"Fantastic!" he grinned happily, quite impressed for once, and ran off to cross the bridge over the river. That goofy smile of his was infectious and she felt herself smiling too. Then as soon as she registered that he had moved she was chasing after him again.  
Rose was following close behind the Doctor having no trouble keeping up with him this time. The Doctor's joy was catching and despite all the crazy things that had happened to her in the last 24 hours, and the rockiness of their recent interactions, she began to smile and laugh. Then the most unexpected thing happened. Without stopping the Doctor offered out his hand for Rose to hold onto. It all happened in an instant. Rose felt a flood of shock, joy, hope and comfort all in the brief four seconds it took her to grab onto his hand. The Doctor pulled Rose along with him and any emotion she had been feeling just a moment ago was increased tenfold. For the first time since he changed he wasn't running away from her but running with her. They crossed the bridge thick as thieves to their destination and to save the Earth.


	10. Chapter 10 - Fantastic Rose

Complicated  
by The Plot Thinens   
Chapter 10 - Fantastic Rose

 

Having crossed over the bridge, Rose and the Doctor were now right under the London Eye and looking for some kind of entrance to the Nestene Consciousness's hiding place. Not even winded from their jog the Doctor declared,  
"Think of it, plastic all over the world, every artificial thing waiting to come alive. The shop window dummies, the phones, the wires, the cables…"  
"The breast implants." Finished Rose matter-of-factly, the Doctor looked at her a bit scandalized for Rose going there, but he was still too please with her helpful discovery from earlier. At the moment a human woman this useful could do no wrong in his ancient eyes and he replied,  
"Still, we've found the transmitter. The Consciousness must be somewhere underneath." The Doctor looked around all over not spotting anything obvious to him yet. Rose turned her eyes to the ground.  
'Underneath, underneath.' She thought to herself and an idea hit her. Rose ran over to the parapets overlooking the water. The Blond peeked over them and spotted a manhole cover at the bottom of the steps that led to the docks. It had to be it!  
"What about down there?" Asked Rose in a booming voice so the Doctor would hear her over the water.

"Looks good to me." Replied the Doctor and he was now very very impressed with her. 'That's two in a row! Why weren't all humans this useful?' thought the Doctor as he smiled his manic grin at Rose, she smiled back. The two ran down the stair and the Doctor heaved the heavy manhole cover open. Having opened it they were bathed in red light. Rose nodded to the Doctor and the two descended the short ladder to a platform surrounded by hanging chains. Chains seemed to be all over the wall and it made the creepy place feel like a dungeon. It was scary but deserted and they proceeded to a metal door across the platform. With a creak and a clank the door opened and they were once again bathed in crimson light. They stepped through and found themselves walking down a flight of stairs to a multi-leveled chamber.

"The Nestene Consciousness. That's it, inside the vat. A living plastic creature." Said the Doctor as he pointed to the vat below filled with what indeed looked like living melting plastic.  
"Well, then. Tip in your anti-plastic and let's go." Said Rose nonchalantly. The Doctor looked at her not happy with her attitude, but considering what she had been through at the 'hands' of this alien plastic being, it was understandable. However, she did need to learn his philosophy on killing. It was not something he did easily or willingly. The Time Lord would do his best to disassociate himself from any possible wrong doings of the guilty party in order to pass what he viewed as fair judgment. He had to give the offender, no matter what it had done, a chance to do the right thing before he would get involved in stopping any offending being.

"I'm not here to kill it. I've got to give it a chance." He said solemnly and approached the creature. Very officially and with the most diplomatic of voices the Doctor announced,  
"I seek audience with the Nestene Consciousness under peaceful contract according to convention 15 of the Shadow Proclamation." The vat flexed and made a strange noise that was nothing but screeches to Rose but seemed to have passed for a language to the Doctor with little difficulty.

"Thank you. If I might have permission to approach?" asked the Doctor, the vat gave the affirmative.  
He then walked down to the lowest platform that was the closest to the Nestene Consciousness with Rose tagging behind. As they walked down they became visible to a crouched figure.  
"Hey, what's up Doc? Rose. Looking lovely as ever. You two manage to get up to anything fun while I was away?" Jack said waggling his eyebrows. Rose blushed and the Doctor looked anything but amused. That was when Rose noticed the diminished figure tied against Jack's back. They're hands were also tied in front of the each other stomachs and it did not look very comfortable.  
"Mickey!" Shouted Rose as she began running to help her friend she thought was dead. She placed her hand to his cheek to comfort him and looked him in the eyes. He looks so vulnerable and scared out of his mind. Rose tugged at the ropes and began to free her friends. The Doctor rolled his eyes, she was getting domestic again. 'And she was doing so well,' he thought.  
"Domestics outside." grumbled the Doctor to Rose. This was not the time for her to start getting emotional and nostalgic over an old friend. The majority of him wouldn't admit it but he also felt a hint of jealousy over the concern and attention that Rose was paying to Mickey. It seemed that feelings that John had had for Rose were bubbling to the surface at the sight of Rose holding another man. Were those his own feelings? He was angry with himself for even thinking of any of this. As a superior Time Lord, he was above such emotions. Why should he care if two apes had a cuddle for comfort? He was removed from his brooding when he heard Jack the eternal flirt say,  
"You know Rose, you could always swap places with cry baby here anytime.   
"Trying to help Rose free them, Jack tugged at the restraints that he and Mickey were tied together with. Finally they were released and Jack jumped up from the place he had been sitting.  
"Phew, Thank God you came. Mister Mickey Mouse here has been in no mood to play. He's got nice washboard abs though." Mused Jack in a mock voice. Mickey although now free was still glued to his spot by fear and could only look on as the bazaar spectacle played out before him.  
"That thing down there, the liquid. Rose, it can talk!" He squeaked, Jack patted him on the back and simply said,  
"Not as much as you have for the last 4 hours." Rose shooed Jack away from Mickey, she gave him a comforting hug and shot an incredulous look at the Doctor.  
"You're stinking. Doctor, they kept him alive." She declared, to which the Doctor casually replied,  
"Yeah, that was always a possibility. Keep him alive to maintain the copy." Rose was mortified, why didn't the Doctor say there was a chance that Mickey was still alive? It would have made her feel so much better."You knew that and you never said?" she bellowed at him, ready to put him in the dog house. The Doctor was not at all threatened and retorted,  
"Can we keep the domestics outside, thank you?"  
"And we're back to square one again." Grumbled Rose under her breath, they were getting along so well up to this point. Too well she guessed. This relationship wasn't about to get any easier yet. Rose was about to give him a 'piece of her mind' to choke on, but he walked away from her down to the Nestene alien.  
Mickey watched the Doctor, or rather John as he knew him, head toward the vat. This was a move he equated to suicide and wondered what crazy nut Rose had hitched herself to. John also seemed to be pretending to understand what the vat said too. The Doctor continued his conversation with the vat again having no trouble with getting answers from gargled noises.  
"Am I addressing the Consciousness?" he asked, receiving a gargling noise in response.

"Thank you. If I might observe, you infiltrated this civilization by means of warp shunt technology. So, may I suggest, with the greatest respect, that you shunt off?" smiled the Doctor.  
The vat did not seem pleased and an odd looking thing that almost resembled a face began to make noises of protest.  
"Oh, don't give me that. It's an invasion, plain and simple. Don't talk about constitutional rights." the Doctor barked only to be interrupted by the vile vat of plastic. The Doctor, not about to be overshadowed raised his voice higher and shouted,  
"I am talking! This planet is just starting. These stupid little people have only just learnt how to walk, but they're capable of so much more. I'm asking you on their behalf. Please, just go."  
"Doctah" Shouted Rose trying to warn the Doctor that he was being ambushed. He turned around to see that a duo of dummies was coming up behind him. They restrained him and although the Doctor struggled one of the dummies managed to remove the vial of anti-plastic from his coat pocket. Upon viewing the blue vial the vat began to scream angrily at the Doctor.  
"That was just insurance. I wasn't going to use it. I was not attacking you. I'm here to help. I'm not your enemy. I swear, I'm not." Implored the Doctor but the vat just shouted louder at the Doctor.  
"What do you mean?" said the Doctor as he tried to yell over the screams of anger coming from the vat below. A door then opened above the Doctor's head on one of the higher platforms revealing the TARDIS. Obviously the plastic creatures had found the TARDIS parked above and brought it in. From the pit more angry screeches raised up and the Doctor was now desperate to turn the failing diplomatic situation around.  
"No. Oh, no. Honestly, no. Yes, that's my ship. That's not true. I should know, I was there. I fought in the war. It wasn't my fault. I couldn't save your world! I couldn't save any of them!" yelled and implored the Doctor over the 'voice' of the shouting Nestene Consciousness. Rose was confused but she could tell that everything was escalating fast.

"Doctah, What's it doing?" Asked Rose afraid of what the vat dweller below was up to.  
"It's the TARDIS! The Nestene's identified its superior technology. It's terrified. It's going to the final phase. It's starting the invasion! Get out, Rose! Just leg it now!" Rose and Jack were petrified at this news while Mickey was visibly shaking from fear. The Earth and life as Rose knew it was at risk and she felt helpless to stop it. Rose thought of her mother. She could be out there right now as this invasion was beginning! She had to warn her and tell her to stay indoors away from things like shop window dummies. It would sound mad but she had to try. Rose picked up her mobile and speed dialed her mother, the phone rang an agonizingly long 3 times and finally Jackie picked up.  
"Mum." Said Rose, relieved that at the moment she was safe.  
"Hi, Rose sweetheart. I was just going to phone. I've got just a bit more shopping to do and then I'll be back at the apartment. Lord, the errands all just pile up. You find one thing to do then another. Are you and that dumb man of your still on the Estate? We could have dinner if you're hungry." Rambled Jackie to her daughter. Rose finally managing to get a word in shot off,  
"Mum, where are you?"  
"I'm in town where else do you go shopping?" Answered Jackie. Rose was horror-struck; Jackie was smack dab in the middle of exactly where Rose didn't want her mother to be. She yelled into the phone,"No, go home! Just go home right now! It's not safe outside!" Jackie was confused by Rose's urgency, but Rose was beginning to break up and it was getting difficult to hear her so Jackie quickly said,  
"I'll be home in a bit dear, be patient. I'm sure you and that man of yours found something to do while I've been out, judging by your lack of control in the hallway for all to see. Just clean up any messes you made in the meantime and set the table. I'll pick up something. Ta." Jackie hung up the phone all the while Rose was shouting for her mother to get to safety. Lightning-like energy bolts were starting to shoot out of the vat of plastic and made the entire chamber quake and the structures around them, including the stairs that began to break up and disappear into the depths below. The humans and the Doctor were now trapped in the middle of the chamber with no way in or out and very much separated. No one inside the chamber could tell but the London Eye was sending of a pulsing energy signal. A very angry Nestene Consciousness was beginning to activate its signal to bring plastic to life all over London and soon, when the signal reached, the world. The Doctor tried to force his way free from the Autons's grasps but to no avail and he shouted to his human companions,  
"It's the activation signal. It's transmitting!" Jack looked around frightened and not knowing what to do or how to help the Doctor, he stated grimly,  
"It's the end of the World." The Doctor turned his head and looked at Rose,"Get out, Rose! Just get out! Run!" he shouted. Driven by the urge to survive, the three tried to run for the stairs. Jack hated to leave the Doctor in trouble but he needed to get Rose and Mickey to safety and in the meantime the Doctor would have to cope until he got back. Finally they made it to the stairs only to see that they were no longer there.

"Quakes must have taken out the stair!" Jack cried out. With no other way out Jack's eye popped up to the TARDIS. It was across the chamber from them and that was the next likely place to go. They made a dash for it, Jack arriving at its doors first only to discover that it was locked and he no longer had his key on him. Anything even a bit suspicious in aiding his escape had been removed from his person and thrown into the chasm below. And he hadn't had any time to hide anything useful in his secret hiding place on his person before he had been captured by the plastic henchmen the night prior. He was only lucky that he had not remembered to put his vortex manipulator on the other day. He had forgotten to wear it since he had, over the last year, grown accustomed to leaving it in the TARDIS secreted away while they were in hiding. Unfortunately, anything that could be of help to them now was locked behind the ships doors and they were trapped on the outside. Mickey who had barely been able to force himself to run had collapsed on the ground in front of the TARDIS and clung to Rose's leg whimpering,  
"We're all going to die!" Cried Mickey. The plastic vat began growling at the Time Lord above it and Mickey clutched Rose's leg tighter in fright. Jack felt helpless; he had nothing to use to help the Doctor. Thanks to the stairs breaking away he was effectively cut off from the lower platform where the Time Lord was being held. He could jump down and try to help the Doctor, but it was such a long drop that he might end up breaking a leg than an Auton and then he would of no use to anyone. He could only sit tight and pray that the Doctor could perform yet another one of his death defying stunts to save the day.

The Doctor now realized that nothing could be done and that they were indeed all going to die at the 'hands' of the Autons. He said an apology under his breath to the planet and people he had failed to save. His thoughts turned to Rose as he regarded the Earth's people. He had done her so many wrongs and it was his fault that she was in this current situation. He wished that he could somehow have made it up to her, but now it was too late. He had been so cruel to her and if he had to wake up married to any human, it hadn't been so bad that it was her. He looked back to Rose standing by the TARDIS and she looked at him. He was saying goodbye again and Rose was having none of it. Mickey saw the gaze in her eyes and knew that she was going to try something drastic to save her bonkers husband from this monster.

"Just leave him! There's nothing you can do!" Shouted Mickey trying to reason with his ex girlfriend and hold her back. Rose didn't listen and pulled herself from his grip. Rose now free frantically looked around the chamber for something he could use to free the Doctor from the two Auton bodyguards holding him captive. She spotted an ax on the wall and one of the many chains hanging from the ceiling. It appeared to be locked to the wall. If she could use the ax to free the chain she could use one to swing down to the Doctor and then try to help him. She grabbed the ax and with each swing of the ax she began to shout off her gathered stress as if it were therapeutic to her,  
"I am sick of being the eternal victim here!" She hit the chains with the ax once,  
"I've got no A-levels, possibly no future for my marriage." She said and twice the ax made contact,  
"But I tell you what I have got." Third strike and the chain was free. She grabbed onto the chain and pulled on it testing its strength. Satisfied she finished her monologue,   
"Jericho Street Junior School under 7s gymnastic team. I've got the bronze! And I'm going down there and getting my bloody man back!" Sprinting forward and with a mighty push off the elevated platform she was swinging down to the lower level of the chamber like Tarzan. She was building up speed and most definitely catching the Autons, who saw the humans as no threat to them, off guard. They were more concern with the Doctor then the pink and yellow human swinging down on them. Rose's feet made contact with the Auton that was holding the vial of anti-plastic and she knocked the dummy and the vial into the vat below. The liquid was absorbed into the container and the Nestene Consciousness screamed in monstrous pain. As the creature was destroyed, its signal to everything plastic in London was cut off and now the plastic was changing back to just harmless plastic. Finally free the Doctor flipped the remaining Auton plastic dummy into the pit to join its 'friend'. The Doctor turned to Rose hanging from the chain and called to her.

"Rose!" he shouted and gestured for her to aim for him. Swinging back she let go when she was close enough to him. She fell but was safely caught in the Doctor's arms. It felt great to be back in his arms but even better when the Doctor gave her a tight hug, exactly like John used to. Rose smiled and she was happy as could be even with the room around her ready to explode.  
"Now we're in trouble." Smiled the Doctor to Rose and they scrambled up the remaining stairs to the TARDIS. As soon as the Doctor was able to get past Mickey, who was plastered to the foot of the TARDIS, he opened up the door and Jack, Mickey, Rose and the Doctor piled inside. The TARDIS then dematerialized itself out of the chamber before the cavern was completely destroyed.  
Inside the TARDIS the Doctor looked to his passengers before settling his eyes on Rose. Rose thought that now that the threat was gone, they would have the calm talk that she wanted. The Doctor, much to Rose's disappointment just started hopping around his control console pulling levers and pushing buttons. Mickey was not taking to the TARDIS very well. Despite that this ship had proven to be his salvation he stayed by the door and looked around as if anything he touched might bite him. The TARDIS finally came to a stop and the second it stopped moving Mickey open the doors and fell out. He thought that scary chamber would be better than the TARDIS but was surprised to find himself outside in a suburban neighborhood. He tripped over to a mail box and hugged it for support all the while muttering,  
"It's bigger on the inside!" Rose being worried for Mickey followed him out. She was very proud of herself for saving the day and the Doctor. 'Not bad for a stupid ape' she thought. She had saved the world and the Doctor in the most ape-ish way possible, swinging from a 'vine', if that didn't deflate the Doctor's ego then nothing would. She only needed to know that her mother was okay and then her self-esteem couldn't grow any bigger. She reached for her phone and called her mother.  
Jackie had been through a terrifying ordeal. She was walking about shopping and minding her own business when shop window dummies started mowing down shoppers and destroying everything in sight. She had run out of the store only to be nearly taken out by three dummies dressed as brides. Fortunately, before she could be killed or even hurt, the dummies just stopped and fell apart. They became lifeless plastic again. She was winded from running and scared witless. She heard her phone ring and reflexively she grabbed for it. It was Rose, 'Thank goodness she's safe,' thought Jackie. Rose continued to listen on the other end to her mother.

"Rose, Rose, don't go out of the house. It's not safe. There were these things, and they were shooting! And they…" that was all Jackie had managed to say to her daughter before Rose hung up. Rose smiled, her mother was safe and she was a big damn hero. She had no end of praises for herself; after all she had saved the world with gymnastics! After having spent the past 24 hours in a depressive mood, this was a welcomed rush. Not bad for a shop girl nobody. The blond managed to pocket her phone before her tunnel vision lifted and she realized where she was. Back at the home she and John had been sharing together near campus. The TARDIS was on the opposite side of the street and the Doctor emerged from the TARDIS. He did not leave its doors though and Jack was nowhere to be found. Perhaps he knew enough to give the Doctor and Rose some privacy. Well as much privacy as you could get with Mickey Smith watching. In her slightly euphoric state none of her surroundings' significance had hit her yet, all of her world was just her and the Doctor. Rose, still riding the wave of adrenaline smirked at the Doctor and declared,  
"A fat lot of good you were. " Rose was obviously referring to her double rescue of not only the world but the Doctor as well."Nestene Consciousness? Easy." The Doctor replied, trying to downplay the severity of the situation that they had narrowly escaped from. Though not at all succeeding, Rose was not fooled and would have her metaphorical parade. Pointing to the Doctor she announced,  
"You were useless in there. You'd be dead if it wasn't for me." Upon a quick reflection the Doctor knew this to be true. She was his lifesaver as well as the whole planet's. Relenting all of his pride he stated as fact,  
"Yes, I would. Thank you."  
The Doctor had a crazy idea. Well truth was that most of his ideas were crazy, but this one particularly so. He had seen Rose in action under fire and she preformed fantastically. Easily she had passed the tests proving the makings of a great companion in his book. But Rose was different, if it ever got that far, Rose was gunning for a different title then companion. A title she technically already had a right to. She needed one more test and there was only one way to do it. Holding onto the TARDIS for emotional support he was working up the nerve to do this crazy thing. He felt like a teenaged human asking a girl out. It was a ridiculous comparison of course since he was over 900 years old and they were already technically married. Was he admitting it now? What was it about this human that he now couldn't bare the idea of parting with. He wanted her with him that much he was certain, but as to the extent he was not going to go there yet. If he really wanted this he would have to make it good and word things right. Nothing but the granddaddy of all space alien pickup lines would do. He took a quick breath and tried to go for casual,  
"Right then, I'll be off, unless, er, I don't know, you could come with me. This box isn't just a London hopper, you know. It goes anywhere in the universe free of charge. It even travels in time not just space!" The Doctor put emphasis on the Time part, trying to kid himself that he was just saying and not using it as a selling point to encourage Rose to join him. After the way he behaved and all the changes he'd gone through, he didn't fool himself into thinking that Rose would simply want to come with him now. No matter what she had said earlier he knew that most humans would take this moment to be scared off now.

Rose was taken aback by what the Doctor had just said and she asked in disbelief, because she was sure that she had heard wrong,  
"You want me to come with you, in the TARDIS?" Hope was on her voice and not hidden at all, their little world was only interrupted by Mickey piping up his scared voice at Rose,  
"Don't go with em, he's not human, Rose. He's a thing! You married an alien. S'not even legal!" squeaked Mickey, he looked as if he were ready to wet himself. He was so shaken up by his ordeal. He clung to Rose's leg trying in his own way to protect her from what he thought was a dangerous thing. It would spirit her away and end up getting her killed, he was convinced without a doubt. The Doctor, a bit peeved by the interruption simply stated,  
"He's not invited. " The Doctor looked passed Rose to the house that the two had lived in and shared as husband and wife. He regarded it almost with a look of affection. It was no TARDIS or bigger on the inside but based on John's memories it had not been at all an unpleasant stay. He looked back at Rose and gestured to the house,  
"What do you think? You could stay here, if you wanted. House is paid for and you'd be set up comfortably…" He said to Rose he was giving her an out. Rose was beginning to worry that the Doctor was changing his mind and was planning to leave her behind again. As if the Doctor could sense her distress he continued,  
"You don't have to but if you come, I can guarantee you that adventure is always on the menu on my ship and I know you always wanted adventure." The Doctor then smiled and patted the side of the TARDIS door.  
"Is it always this dangerous? Asked Rose wanting to know what she may or may not be signing up for.  
"Yes, it is." He answered; he looked once more at the house,  
"Is this what you want from us? A nice house with windows and carpets and doors. Because I can never give you that, a normal life. You come with me, there will be no room for domestics in this lifestyle." Explained the Doctor.  
Rose looked at the leather clad Doctor and then back to her home. Then as she looked back to the Doctor she thought that that was wrong. That's where she lived with John, The Doctor, it wasn't home. Home was where ever and whenever the man standing in front of her was. And for better or worse she had already agreed to sign up for whatever came her way with this man. True, it was a bit more than she had been expecting, but that was what most people she wagered said about marriage. This was just a more extreme case than normal. But she never wanted a normal life; she wanted a fantastic one with the fantastic man she had married. Come what may she would love this man, even if she had to learn to love him all over again. And maybe he might come to love her again too. It was a big maybe but she was willing to take a chance and give it a go if he was. And from what she observed, he was at least giving them a chance. She would rather regret something she did than something she didn't do any day of the week. Rose was about to answer the Doctor's question, she knew what she wanted but she also had to be sure that this was in fact what he wanted. She wanted to put the ball in his court.  
"Ask me again. You have to be willing to ask me to come with you again, if you really want me with you." Stated Rose. The Doctor was surprised, he had been asking the questions and she now was turning it around on him and putting him on the spot. He had never before asked anyone twice if they wanted to come with him. Let alone be ordered to do so. It was almost like asking him to beg. It was gutsy when he thought he held all the keys. But then he considered that Rose wasn't just anyone and something in the back of his head told him that he better do what she said. The Doctor looked Rose in the eyes and simply stated in a voice that was mostly a question but with a faint hint of an order,  
"Come with me, Rose." Rose let out a calming breath and noticed that Mickey was still protectively grasping her leg.  
"I'm fine, Mickey. Thank you for all your help, but I can take it from here." Said Rose looking down at Mickey.  
Rose pulled herself free from her Ex much to his protests and ran to the Doctor. She was now ready to answer his question of what she wanted. Though not desiring to push her luck too much and make him feel too uncomfortable, after having put him on the spot already, she grabbed his hand and cupped it between her palms. She looked up into his blue eyes, they were still the same eyes just a different gaze about them, and she said in earnest,  
"All I need is you, all that other stuff, doesn't matter." The Doctor smiled at her answer and that was when Rose whacked the doctor on his arm with her closed fist. The Doctor looked shocked; he had not seen that coming at all. The blow wouldn't break any bones or even bruise, but it might be a bit sensitive for an hour. He was actually expecting her to kiss him, and he was bracing himself to try and act somewhat unaffected by a Rose Tyler kiss. Her kisses where great and so in a somewhat whimpering voice he questioned,  
"Ow, what was that for?" The Doctor rubbed his arm and Rose started walking past him into the TARDIS.  
"If you ever try to leave me behind again you will get ten times worse than that. Got it? I didn't forget about before? I forgive you this time, but there had better not be a second time. Now shift your Time Lord arse in here, Mister." declared Rose from the ramp of the TARDIS console room. The Doctor nodded the affirmative following her into the TARDIS with her eyes. She hadn't been officially on Team TARDIS for more than a minute and already she had solidified her position of alpha on board. There was definitely something fantastic about her. Maybe his human self wasn't so daft after all. The Doctor turned his attention to the dazed man standing next to the Smith's mailbox and smiled a goodbye to Mickey before shutting the door. The TARDIS then much to Mickey's shock began to make a strange noise and faded in and out of existence. It then disappeared completely. Mickey looked stunned and remembering now that he had legs, ran to where the blue box had just been. Satisfied that it was not there he looked about the empty and darkened street that was miles away from his home. Was he going crazy? Did that all just happen? He was panicking again now that his mind was reflecting on his bazaar and surreal day. He had to focus on the normal and asked himself the most mundane question that concerned his current situation that needed answering,  
"Does the bus go through here?" he asked himself and started walking down the street, shutting down, for now, any higher brain functions that were not needed to accomplish his task.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Notes: Well what did you think folks? Also I always wondered what poor Mickey did after he was left to himself once the TARDIS disappeared. Spot the Evangelion reference?


	11. Chapter 11 - On the good ship TARDIS…there are only two bedrooms?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More marriage issues.

Complicated  
by The Plot Thinens   
Chapter 11 - On the good ship TARDIS…there are only two bedrooms?

"Welcome aboard, Rose!" Smiled Jack in a friendly but dirty hinting way to the young blond. Rose smacked the amorous American on the arm and chided,  
"Remember, married woman?" showing him the ring. Jack waggled his eyebrows and smirked,  
"Oh that's okay, I'm not the jealous type. I've had many fun times with married couples. In fact, just recently on this one planet the Doctor and I visited…"  
"Enough out of you, yeah?" She giggled. Obviously a little thing like a gold band wasn't going to stop Captain Jack from flirting. Rose then remembered the Doctor at the console behind her. She had said that she was a married woman, but was that how the Doctor still felt? He wasn't wearing the ring anymore. Maybe she had been demoted from wife to just companion. If that was the case she hoped that it wouldn't be forever. She would be reasonable and wait for him if she had to, it would be difficult, but for as long as he would have her near him she would stay. She would also be faithful so flirting from Jack was fine but if he tried to go for anything more he would find himself disappointed. But she didn't feel anything threatening from Jack and she had known threatening men. Jack was just a big flirt and overly friendly. Not the type to force himself on you, but if you were willing then he had no objections. She was also pretty sure that he was on her side when it came to the Doctor, so he wouldn't do anything to jeopardize her already strained relationship with the doctor. In short, Jack just loved everyone.

"The girl comes with us and not five minutes are we in the vortex before you start putting the moves on her." Scoffed the Doctor to Jack from behind the TARDIS console. It seemed that he was actually listening to the conversation, although he was trying to look like he was doing anything else.  
"Well it would have been two minutes but she's been through a lot today and I wanted to be sensitive." Smirked Jack. The Doctor just rolled his eyes and continued his work at the console. Rose sat down on the jump seat and looked up at the ceiling. This ship was a work of art, a beautiful organic and inviting structure. The earthen colors relaxed her and the seat was well worn and comfortable. Rose found herself yawning in spite of herself. 'Oh no' she thought. Now that she was slowing down and not running for her life anymore, her lack of sleep was catching up with her. She had been up all day and had only gotten a few hours of sleep the night before or rather this early morning. Jack spotted her fatigue first and said to the Doctor,  
"Hey Doc, I think your bride is in need of a bed and some sleep…" he put his finger under his chin and observed Rose. Then turning his head to the Doctor he continued,  
"But you still might be able to convince her otherwise about the last part, if you hurry." The Doctor grumbled at Jack's bed humor. Didn't Jack ever stop or was he hell bent on putting himself and Rose into as many awkward situations as possible? The Doctor finished his tinkering and declared,  
"I'm sure that we can find her a room if she needs sleep. Honestly, you humans, how do you get anything done sleeping most of your life away?" Jack extended his hand to Rose and helped her off the jump seat. Rose smiled her thanks and walked up to the Doctor.  
"Space is never an issue on my space ship. Bigger on the inside means unlimited room and rooms. The TARDIS will make you a room that's perfect for you. Come on let's find it." Smiled the Doctor a bit excited to not only see what the TARDIS would make for her, but also Rose's reaction to more wonders of the TARDIS. Jack waved goodbye to the two though he was sure that they didn't seem to notice him heading back to his own room.  
The Doctor began to point out various rooms along the way to what she would assume would be her designated space for her stay on the TARDIS. It was a ways off so far and she hoped that she could remember the way back to the console room. The Doctor showed her the kitchen, the infirmary, the library with a pool in it! Even a peek of the rain forest room which had waterslides that led down into a huge lake. That she had to see to believe, she was also told that this seemingly vast forest provided all of the oxygen that she was currently breathing. Then finally they were stopped by a door down the hall that put the Doctor a bit off.  
"Oi, what gives?" He seemed to be saying to the TARDIS. He didn't want to tell Rose that when he had asked for the TARDIS to make a room for her that the TARDIS had led them to his room. The Doctor then directed Rose to the next door on the right, assuming that the TARDIS was just being smart and that this room was in fact Rose's. Upon opening the door however, Rose and the Doctor were greeted by the sight of Jack naked as the day he was born.  
"Not that I mind if you two want to pay a visit but most would consider it polite to knock first. Especially when the room's occupant is getting ready to sleep." Harkness sarcastically said. The Doctor, trying not to look at Jack, slammed the door and chastised the TARDIS for her horrible joke.  
"TARDIS thinks she's being funny, okay sorry about that Rose. Let's try this door." Apologized the Doctor to the blond. Rose's face was a little flushed and she nodded her head. The Doctor opened the only other door in the hall besides his own and opened it, only to be greeted yet again by a naked Captain Jack.  
"If you two want to come in and join me, then all you have to do is asked." Jack smirked as he stood in his room hands on his hips. The Doctor shivered and slammed the door again. 'Damn it, Jack would sleep in the buff' grumbled the Doctor to himself. Rose was now very confused as to how Jack could be in two places at once. As if sensing her confusion and loving the idea of changing the subject away from Jack's junk, the Doctor explained,  
"The TARDIS is alive and she has an attitude sometimes. She can bend space anyway she wants in here, one room could be down the hall from the console room or right next to it if you or more often she wants." 'Well that would make finding the console room easier' she thought, she should just remember to stay on good terms with the ship. However one did that was beyond her at the moment but she would make a conscious effort to try. It was now that the Doctor realized that the TARDIS was going to have it her way. On this bigger on the inside ship, the TARDIS had made it quite clear that there would only be two places for Rose to sleep, his room or Jack's. The Doctor grumbled because he knew the choice he would pick just as the TARDIS did. He took a deep breath and looked at Rose.

"It seems the TARDIS is up to her old tricks again. She's only giving us two choices out of the whole TARDIS but I think she wants you to sleep in this room here." Said the Doctor.  
"She's bigger on the inside and only two bedrooms in the whole place? Now that is being tricky." Laughed Rose to the Doctor, a bit nervously at the implication. Was this to be their room after all? Unless the Doctor had a room elsewhere that the TARDIS wasn't offering up as an option then that might very well be the case. But it was more likely that his room was just someplace else on the TARDIS. The Doctor opened the door to what he assumed was his barely used bedroom. Rose was in awe of the amazing room. It was the perfect combination of old world Earth polished woodwork and a modern design that looked alien in origin. If the Doctor had told her, Rose would have realized that the TARDIS had altered the Doctor's room a bit to be a combination of their two planets of origin. The Doctor actually liked the look but he would never tell.

"I'll be really comfortable in here, but it's almost too good for me. I hope I don't break anything." Rose said looking at all the fine antique furniture. Rose was amazed by the room it had everything, a large wardrobe that was bigger on the inside, a bathroom that was big enough for ten people and a bed just as big. She looked over to the bed and then to the Doctor.  
"Where are you going to sleep?" asked Rose who then lost her nerve a bit and directed her eyes to a drawer next to her. She was afraid of the answer.  
"Oh, I don't need to, alien remember?" smiled the Doctor, that was a lie. He did need a little sleep every once and a while. He didn't want to tell Rose that he would from now on for the duration of her stay, or at least until the TARDIS saw fit to give him his own bed again, he would be catching his needed sleep on the jump seat in the console room or on the couch in the library. The Doctor always planned his sleep cycles when he knew his companions were asleep; therefore what they never saw, never happened. No one had ever seen him taking a normal rest, well except for Rose but he was human at the time and that didn't count.

"Oh, I guess that makes things easy with only two bed rooms then." Said Rose a hint of disappointment in her voice. She had liked waking up next to her husband in the morning. She had loved teasing him awake by tickling his ears and well other things, but she guessed that was now over with and it was yet another one of the many changes that she would have to adjust to. She absentmindedly opened the drawer next to her, her human curiosity getting the better of her, and then she froze. Inside this drawer were the Doctor's clothes. All his jeans and his jumpers even his dainties. She looked up at him and realization dawned on her. No doubts now.  
"This is your room. The TARDIS wants me in your room." She stated; it wasn't' a question. The Doctor shifted uncomfortably, he was caught now and trying to maintain his air of superiority he said  
"It seems yes, but I didn't want to impose on you." Somewhat cursing his beloved ship for not moving his clothing out of the room before Rose stepped in.  
"So what, you were just going to sleep on the couch, yeah? You could have at least told me that I was putting you out of your own room. I might have volunteered to sleep on the couch instead of inconveniencing you." She said in a slightly angry voice. Rose knew that this was almost a complete reboot of their relationship so she didn't know why she was getting so angry. She was just a mess of jumbled emotions from this atypical and somewhat unfair situation she had been placed in. It can only be assumed that some part of her had expected, if not hoped, that he would at least still want to share a room together. Rose was human, but not an idiot and she could tell that the Doctor did not want to share this room with her. That knowledge hurt.  
The Doctor looked as if he wanted to be anywhere else then having a domestic dispute about sleeping arrangements with his 'technically-still-his-wife' companion. He wanted to duck out of this conversation all together and run back to the safety of the console room.

"Well since I don't really need any sleep, it just wasn't even an issue. If I need rest I can always just sit in a chair someplace else. I mean, I don't really need a room. Technically, I don't even need to change my clothing. Well maybe if they get ripped… But anyway, my homeostasis system is far more evolved. I don't sweat like you humans do to keep cool. I never smell either; no nose ever knows I'm about. And in case my clothing does get dirty I can always just sonic them clean. Humans just have so many basic needs to tend to that Time Lords do not. I mean you only have one heart too, which means your body has to work overtime to do what my two hearts does. So you would need the room more than me for sleep at the very least. I was just trying to be a good host in light of the circumstances of lack of rooms." Rambled the Doctor hoping to reason with her as to why them having to share a room was completely unnecessary.

That's when it hit Rose that the Doctor, since she had met him as the Doctor, he had done nothing but go on about how superior he was to humans. They were a completely different species now even though they looked fairly similar, to her anyway. What if now that John, the Doctor, remembered that he was a Time Lord, also now remembered prejudices he held toward humans that John, as a human, would not have felt? What if now that he was a Time Lord again he couldn't get past that to love her like he had before? What if the idea of having married and done 'things' with her 'a stupid ape,' disgusted him now? She thought back to the pleasant memory of two nights ago and the idea of him loathing that memory now when she cherished it broke her heart. He had human friends or rather companions, so obviously he didn't mind keeping them around as friends or "pets" at least. But you might have a monkey as a pet and even love it, but unless you had something wrong with you, you wouldn't want to marry the monkey or do things that married people do with it. Maybe he really was doing all he could for her as far as their relationship went. Maybe this was all he could kindly give her and that was what she now had signed up for. He just didn't know what to do with her now, that had to be it. Maybe he was slowly setting her up for the let down. And she couldn't go back, she just couldn't. She needed to be with him even if it would be painful. Was this what it meant to be a prisoner of love? She sat down on the bed and without looking up at him she asked a very selfish question that she knew was putting him on the spot but her single lonely heart needed to know that answer.

"Does the idea of sharing the same bed with me disgust you now?" She didn't have the courage to ask anything more direct about their love life than that. The Doctor sat down on the bed with her but on the other side and without looking at her. Rose felt the bed sink from his weight and a small part of her quaked from the memory of his weight on a mattress from times before.  
"Rose. Please. Questions like that are for another day. Not now. We both need time to sort things out." Said the Doctor softly. Still facing the opposite wall from the Doctor, Rose put her hands over her face and tried to make a weak smile,  
"Well, you're sitting on the same bed as me, I suppose that's progress at least." The Doctor then got off the bed and walked to the door. He didn't look back at her but he softly gripped the doorframe and said,  
"If you need anything the TARDIS will provide, I'll see you after your eight hours of sleep. And Rose…"  
"Yes Doctor?" Asked Rose, now looking up at him.  
"Someone as fantastic as you could never disgust me." Said the Doctor and he closed the door gently behind him. Rose smiled at that comment. It wasn't a direct answer but it didn't damn her hopes either.  
Rose got ready for bed. The TARDIS did indeed provide, she didn't find any clothing for bed for a woman but she did manage to find what she could only assume were the Doctor's undershirts and shorts. Even though he claimed that he didn't smell, they still smelt like the Doctor, her John, and she found that quite comforting. Maybe the TARDIS knew somehow that she would like that. He wouldn't be in the bed with her but at least she could fool her nose that he was. Perhaps he meant that he never smelt bad. The whole room sort of smelt like the Doctor, but since it was his room that only made sense. Rose climbed in between the cool sheets of the bed and noted that it also had a hint of the Doctor's scent. She closed her eyes and she felt the lights dim through her lidded eyes. She smiled; the TARDIS was a great provider of comfort. She almost felt like the TARDIS was wishing her a good sleep. Before Rose slipped into her dreams, she thought to herself, half seriously to the TARDIS, 'Do you think you could provide me with the Doctor too?' Rose was too tired to realize that the TARDIS was already trying to help do just that.

The Doctor sat alone in the console room staring at the ceiling of the TARDIS. Why couldn't he get the beautiful creature currently sleeping in his bed out of his mind? He had to stop thinking about Rose and focus on the test for her instead. He'd been fighting his thoughts for the past two hours and every time they came back to the same conclusion. Rose had meant everything to John, the stupid ape version of himself. And John, even though the Doctor hated to admit it was part of him. He had memories of everything John thought, did, felt, touched and even tasted. And with the exception of one pear, they weren't unpleasant. So Rose by default meant something to him. He wasn't sure exactly what yet, but she meant enough that if she still wanted to be, he couldn't be parted with her. That was why this test would be so important to determining where the two stood in, what only could be described as, the oddest relationship issue any two beings could find themselves in. Especially for a Time Lord who found himself in a relationship he didn't necessarily want to run away from with a member of a species that lived a fraction of what he did.

Rose was human and she had the 'defects' of human biology. In comparison to his superior Time Lord biology; her biology was a nightmare. The very air her body needed to breathe in order to survive also deteriorated her cellular structure. This single fact of her biology resulted in the biggest hurtle to a long term relationship for a Time Lord with a human. She aged. Now the Doctor wasn't shallow. Nor would he leave Rose, if he did continue his relationship with her, simply because she was no longer young and beautiful. He'd been old looking in the past and he was no beauty queen himself now. But unlike him when humans got older they wore down and he couldn't expect her to be able to keep up with him for very long. Nor would it be fair to her, but after the war he found that he lived more for the moment and planning ahead was the farthest thing on his mind. 

Forgetting the subject of their mismatched life spans or her soon approaching death, in comparison to his own life, he still had doubts of her sincerity in her feelings toward him. He didn't doubt that Rose loved John and would have followed him to the ends of the Earth. But the Doctor part of him, which was the majority of him, was a different man all together. He had scars and emotional issues that John did not and Rose was not prepared for. Before he could even think about going on with her he had to test her earnestness. It was easy to feel or say that you would go anywhere with someone but when faced with actual danger or fear their opinion might change rather quickly. He wasn't planning to throw her into danger's path, but she needed to understand his frame of mind and his thinking. If she could accept that and not be scared off, they could move onto the next step. But that would have to wait until the humans' 'morning'. The Doctor settled down to meditate on the jump seat while he waited the boring remaining four hours before Jack would wake up and say something stupid to end his boredom.


	12. Chapter 12 - End of the World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's not like its the end of the world or something...It's just a date.

Complicated  
by The Plot Thinens  
Chapter 12 - End of the World

Rose awoke to morning sun on her face. Or at least it felt that way. When she opened her eyes she realized that it was merely the lighting that the TARDIS had provided to serve as an alarm clock. She looked at her wrist watch. What good a wrist watch would do for her in a time machine was anyone's guess, but it would be a good way to at least tell what time her body thought it was. It had been eight hours since she had gone to sleep, exactly. 'Looks like the TARDIS keeps you on a tight schedule,' she mused. Rose rolled over and hugged her pillow, she breathed in the familiar scent of her husband and sighed. Out of all the things that had changed about her husband, she at least had the blessing that he almost smelt the same to her, there was only a little difference and barely noticeable to her. Maybe that was why John eventually got found out by the Family of Blood, but still she liked his scent and Rose hoped that everything in the room would still continue to smell like him. It was something she treasured and it brought pleasant memories of her husband in the morning.

The blond got out of bed and made her way over to the bathroom, after using the loo and the sink in the most posh bathroom she had ever been in, she left the bedroom to seek out the kitchen for something to eat. Not bothering to change or rather still being a bit too groggy to care, she found the kitchen and stretched her arms up and let out a yawn. It was as nice a modern space kitchen as it was when she saw it last night. It had a warm inviting feeling that was accented by the over head lights that looked as much decorative as functional. Off to the side of the kitchen was a polished wooden looking table with plush cushioned chairs and there was the Doctor and Jack eating toast and bananas.

The doctor was in mid-bite of his favorite fruit when Rose's yawn got his attention. He looked to his left and there was Rose in all her morning glory. Her hair was a bit ruffled having been tied up in a quick ponytail and her face was free of any make-up. The Doctor wondered why she bothered with any make-up at all. She was lovely even when rubbing sleep from her eyes. However, the thing that seemed to catch the Doctor's attention the most was that Rose was wearing just his clothes. His large white undershirt hung loose on her small frame and one of her shoulders was exposed because of the large collar of the shirt. She was also wearing his shorts and those were only being kept up by her hips and the aid of a baggy elastic waistband that hung low on said hip. The Doctor stared and forgot the fruit that he was holding just in front of his mouth.

Rose noticed that the Doctor seemed to be frozen in place but right now her biggest concern was her empty stomach. She saw the banana in his hand, 'bananas sound good' she thought to herself. Thinking that she would be a bit cheeky, she padded her bare feet over to the Doctor and stole the yellow piece of half eaten fruit. Rose could have cared less that it was half eaten and she wasn't worried about germs. It wasn't like they hadn't swapped fluids before. She took a bite out of the banana and then quickly finished the rest of it. The Doctor having come out of his transfixed gaze on Rose had enough time to gruff out,  
"Oi, that was my banana, Rose Tyler." Rose smiled at him and replied,  
"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't know."  
Jack rolled his eyes at the Doctor's attitude in front of this beautiful woman, especially when that woman was wearing the Time Lord's own clothes.  
"There are plenty where those came from, Doctor. You have a banana grove on the TARDIS, remember?" inquired Jack. He wasn't in any mood this morning to watch these two argue over a banana.  
"It's the principal. That one was mine." He whined. Rose giggled and stared into the Doctor's eyes.  
"What's yours is mine and what's mine is yours." She smirked, Rose could have sworn she saw the Doctor's ears flush red at her statement. Rose was relieved that at least he hadn't said anything in denial of her previous statement. Perhaps if she were fully awake she might have been a bit more timid with the Doctor, but half awake and hungry put her in the perfect frame of mind to not be below trying to seduce her own 'technically-still-her husband' a bit. Rose sat down across from the Doctor and ate her fill of toast and bananas. Once she was done she got up and stretched in the most seductive way she felt appropriate with Jack watching.

"I'm going to go shower and change. I'll see you in the console room in a half hour, Doctor." Rose then left back for the bedroom, but not without making sure to sway her hips just a little more than normal.  
Rose closed the bathroom door and stepped into the luxurious shower. She definitely didn't mind living on the TARDIS if it meant having a bathroom this nice. The shower heads turned on to the perfect temperature as soon as she stepped under them and would have been very relaxing. However, once the water hit her and woke her up, all of her earlier confidence seemed to wash off her and slip down the drain with the shower water. What had her half-conscious brain been thinking? Why had she done that? Now that she was awake thanks to the water and alone to reflect, Rose's mind started flooding with worry that she might had been too forward or possibly scared the Doctor off even more. All she knew for sure was that the Doctor wanted her with him on the TARDIS, but that was still very vague as to his intentions.

Rose hadn't forgotten her revelation from last night, she didn't want to throw herself at him or push too hard. If an ape at the zoo tried to romance you and came on as strong as animals do, you'd reasonably runaway. Being half awake before had made it easier to blur the line of comfort between John and the Doctor. It also helped with her inhibitions, but the reality was that she wasn't sure how she was supposed to act around her husband anymore. Under normal circumstances that behavior before was her rightful privilege and she wouldn't have thought twice about doing that around John, even more so if they didn't have an audience. Now that John was whole again and remembered being the Doctor, everything was starting all over with them. Only it was more complicated because they weren't the same species anymore, what human had ever had to deal with this before? She had had so much confidence the previous night when she had defeated the Autons, and now thanks to this fact of biology, which she couldn't even help, she was completely deflated again. It was so frustrating, stressful and worrying. She wanted to scream, she wanted to cry, she wanted him to love her like he had before. She was willing but everything was up to the Doctor. Maybe John and the Doctor weren't so different in that sense. Their relationship the first time around had only progressed because John was finally willing to let go and love her in every sense of the word. What she really missed was his company the most, they were confidants and best friends as lovers should be. And now they were all but strangers.

Rose slumped down and felt her warm cheek against the cool tile wall of the shower. She gave herself a hug and pretended it was him. She missed her best friend so so much. If she had to have anything back, she just wanted that part of the relationship back.  
"I'd trade it all if you would just hold me close. I could go a lifetime without any of the other stuff if you would just hold me." She whispered to the Doctor, though she knew he couldn't hear her. Only time would tell what would happen to them and she would have to learn to wait. Even if it took the rest of her life she would have to learn to wait.

The second that Rose had left the kitchen Jack's hand reached over the table and whacked the back of the Doctor's head.  
"Oi, what was that for?" asked the doctor while he rubbed his head. He was tired of humans hitting him.  
"For being an idiot and not sleeping with her last night! She's not just a companion! She is literally your wife, and it is a crime against time, space and nature that you aren't giving her the attention she deserves. You didn't have to get frisky; you could have just held her. I'm pretty damn sure that that's what she needs and wants the most right now. Some assurance that you are still with her." Shouted Jack. He was angry with the Doctor, not just for the shallow physical reason of letting such a great example of the human specimen go to waste, but also for not seeing to the emotional needs of said wonderful human specimen. The Doctor's wife needed him and the Doctor was deliberately falling short. Harkness was also angry that no matter how many times he tried to set the two of them up, the Doctor refused to take the next step. Again it was literally a crime to Jack for two people like the Doctor and Rose, who clearly had so much potential for love and happiness, to be together but not together. He had to do something that would help jump start their relationship back on track. He was out of ideas and needed help. But it wasn't like there was anyone else that he could team up with to achieve his goal of a return to marital bliss for these two. Or was there? It clicked into Jack's head that he was living inside a sentient being that could cater to your every need and could even hear your thoughts. Surely he could enlist the help of the TARDIS, if he just asked her. And if she were willing.  
Not wanting to raise suspicions of his plot to the Doctor he made a big show of storming out of the room disgusted and then made a B-line for the console room once he was out of the Doctor's sight.

"Hey girl, it's the Captain of your heart." Smirked Jack to the TARDIS as he stroked one of her coral struts in the console room. He was really playing up the charisma, since charming a sentient vessel and not a programmed one was a new concept to him. He could feel the TARDIS's presence in his head, it was flattered, but politely wanted him to get down to business. Jack thought he felt that he was being listened to and urged to speak on. Only the Doctor probably felt the closest connection to the TARDIS with his telepathic Time Lord brain. Humans had to grasp at vague concepts and feelings that they would often second guess when communicating with the TARDIS. Maybe it had something to do with a lack of psychic training or even aptitude. Maybe it was just getting past the idea that something like a spaceship could be alive that caused the communication block. It almost felt like a one-sided conversation but you could hope that the TARDIS was actually hearing what you said and that if her whim suited you then she would grant you a favor.

"I think that they get along better on their own personally. Or at least when I saw them together back in the chamber by the Thames they seemed to be getting along. Well, that was until you added Mickey Mouse, domestics and me in the mix. Personally, I don't care if I have an audience at anytime, but these two seem a bit more prudish to me… What I'm saying is that I think the 'newlyweds' need some alone time. So if there is someplace you could drop me off for say… two weeks or so, where I'd be comfortable and occupied, then I wouldn't mind taking a little shore leave. It would be good for the two of them. Plus after what I went through protecting them especially the Doctor for as long as I did from body swiping aliens, I think I deserve a reward. Don't you?" Smiled Jack to the console as he walked over to the jump seat and reflected longer on his plan. Jack looked about to make sure that he was still alone for he had already been talking for a while now and he couldn't risk prying ears. Then in an even lower voice he whispered to the lovely time and spaceship,  
"The lovebirds can make a honeymoon of it since they haven't been on one yet. But hey, I guess that's what happens when you get married as quick as is legally possible without tellin' your old buddy, Jack. Not that I'm bitter that he didn't let me throw him a stag night at least…Oh it would have been beautiful."  
Of course in reality if he had been told by John of his upcoming nuptial, he probably would have done everything in his power to avert it. But John was a stubborn sort. That much the Captain had learned in over a year. If he had set his mind to it, then John probably would have found some way to marry Rose anyway and it wasn't like the Doctor had left him instructions for that type of situation. It also wasn't in Jack's nature to do something outright cruel to break up two people in love, even back when all he thought they were doing was just dating. But what was done was done and now he and the TARDIS had to play marriage counselors.  
"Anyway, once they've patched things up a bit you could come pick me up before I cause too much trouble at my vacation spot." Said Jack and he heard the TARDIS chime and felt a warm prickling in the back of his head. It tickled and Jack smiled,  
"You can tickle my mind any day, sweet heart. And hopefully I can take that as a 'Yes, I agree with you.'" Jack sat back on the jump seat and stared absentmindedly at the TARDIS console. All he had to do was sit here and wait for the two main characters in his act to arrive on stage. And if the TARDIS was amiable then his plan would play out nicely.

The Doctor and Jack waited in the console room for Rose to appear. Despite her statement of arriving in a half hour, it turned out to be 45 minutes. Which wasn't really that bad but the Time Lord was growing impatient to get on to the next adventure. Or at least that's what he told himself. He was actually anxious to see how Rose would do in the situation he was going to place her in. Either way it was going to come to a head today. She would decide to stay or go and he would know without a doubt of her sincerity to this relationship.

Rose finally appeared and Jack noticed right away that she had clearly been upset, but was now trying to recover. His heart went out to the woman. Jack was a fine tuned instrument when it came to spotting and reading emotions and no amount of make-up could ever hide that from him. The Doctor either didn't notice or was pretending not to. Jack gestured for Rose to come sit by him on the jump seat but she silently waved him off. She instead went right over to the Doctor and greeted him with a big smile. Jack was proud of her for facing things head on and deciding not to use him as a buffer between her and the Doctor. Now was the time for Jack to just sit back, watch the show, and wished he had some popcorn.  
The Doctor and Rose were hunched over the TARDIS console. The Doctor had beckoned her closer with a manic grin and Rose was finding it catching. She was genuinely excited to see what this TARDIS could do and to finally be spending time with the Doctor uninterrupted by alien invaders. The only alien she was interested in right now was right in front of her.

The Doctor was just as excited too and itching to show off to the human who might not be aware of exactly how amazing his Time Lord self was. Going for nonchalant he clasped a semi-transparent ball off the console and began to toss in up and down in his hand.  
"Right then, Rose Tyler, you tell me. Where do you want to go? Backwards or forwards in time. It's your choice. What's it going to be?" smirked the Doctor, clearly showing off. Rose was a little overwhelmed by the request. How often are you asked which way you want to time travel? What did she want to do, she didn't' expect to have a say in where they would go right off the bat. She didn't care really where or when they went so she just threw care to the wind and said  
"Forwards." The Doctor clicked a few buttons then leaned in closer to her and asked, as if it were nothing.  
"How far?" Rose didn't know what to say to that either. Time travel was so ridiculous a concept to begin with. One hundred years seemed like a long enough time for a human, so why not one hundred years?  
"One hundred years." She answered shrugging her shoulders a bit. No sooner did she say that then the Doctor was dancing around the console. Rolling a switch here, pull a lever there and twisted a knob. The TARDIS came to life and began to shake and make noise. Everyone braced themselves and a few seconds later the Doctor flicked a switch that stopped the TARDIS. The Doctor stood proud and pointed to the TARDIS's entrance,  
"There you go. Step outside those doors, it's the twenty second century." Said the Doctor to Rose in a cocky voice.  
" You're kidding." Asked Rose in disbelief. There was no way that this was happening to her, he kept thinking that maybe this was a dream that she might wake up from. It would be a great story to tell if that were really the case, but she knew for a fact that as weird as it all was, this was her life from now on. The Doctor didn't think Rose was awed enough so he had to push for even more impressive. He also just wanted to show off more. Oh how it would feel when he saw the look on her face once she walked out those doors to the place and time he had brought her.  
"That's a bit boring, though. Do you want to go further?" he asked practically begging her to hold him up to the challenge.  
"Fine by me." She laughed a bit nervously, again she honestly didn't care where or when they went. All she cared about was just being with him, but the adventures he claimed he could offer were a nice plus. And she would be lying if she said she wasn't growing more excited for the adventure in time ahead with every word he uttered.  
"Ten thousand years in the future. Step outside, it's the year 12005, the new Roman Empire." Said the Doctor to his brand new human passenger, all the while he was beaming at his own greatness.  
"You think you're so impressive." Chided Rose to the Doctor as she rolled her eyes a bit. His ego was getting a little too inflated and she felt the need to take him down a few pegs.  
"I am so impressive." Declared the Doctor a bit offended by her cheek. After all he was the impressive Time Lord with the fantastically impressive ride.  
"You wish." Not satisfied with Rose's response he thought that he would throw out all the stops and take her to the perfect destination that would without a doubt floor her.  
"Right then, you asked for it. I know exactly where to go. Hold on!" Smirked the Doctor. He had had several places in mind before but the next stop would be the best way to test and see if Rose was made of the right stuff for the life she had chosen. 'Let the test begin and let the results speak for themselves', he thought.

The TARDIS was now zooming through the time vortex and the Doctor was even more manic around the console doing the same dance over but he rolled dials for longer and turned knobs farther. He even started pumping a hand pump on the side of the console excessively and extremely fast, so much so that Rose was actually feeling a hint of nervousness over his exertions. He turned one last knob and rang a bell, one that looked like the kind usually used to call for service at a hotel, for good measure. The TARDIS came to a halt and all was silent.  
"Where are we?" Asked Rose a bit unnerved by all the Doctor's efforts to reach their destination. The Doctor merely gestured to the doors very impressed with himself.  
"What's out there?" asked Rose curious with a smile on her face. Again the Doctor only smiled and gestured to the door. Realizing that the Doctor wasn't going to give up the information she walked to the doors with a excited smirk on her face. The adrenaline from not knowing what was awaiting her outside was pumping through her veins until nothing else mattered but finding out what was on the other side of those doors. She was about to open the door when Jack cut in front of her and beat her to the latch on the doors.  
"Hold up, I'll handle this one." Said Jack looking out first and hoping that the TARDIS had worked her magic right.  
"Oi, I wanted to be the first." Griped Rose teasingly, she was a little disappointed that she wouldn't get to be the first to open the door and step outside into the unknown, but it was still exciting. Jack opened the door and the second they walked outside they were on a strange parade float, that was in fact actually floating just above the ground. It was shaped like a banana and it was in the middle of a wild street parade in an area that looked like a super modern take of New Orleans. Rose poked her head out and took a step back. She was a bit surprised by the loud blaring music, noisy crowds and flashy costumes of the people on the ground around them. Jack simply caressed the TARDIS almost as if he were worshipping a lover and whispered,  
"I love you TARDIS, marry me." The Doctor now having reached the end of the ramp joined the two at the doors and looked about confused as if he was shifting through a mental rolodex of some kind.  
"You took us to a street party?" asked Rose not disappointed, just surprise. She was hoping for a little lower key, or at least meaningful. But hey who doesn't love a party? Talking would have to wait again since she was sure no one would be able to hear their own voice in this crowd.  
"Not exactly the year I was shooting for…" The Doctor trailed off.  
"Year 12105, Doc." Shouted Jack to the Doctor while he was looking at his vortex manipulator.  
"OOooo, this was a really great Mardi Gras this year. TARDIS definitely marry me. We'll find some planet where it's legal!" Smiled Jack to the TARDIS as he stepped out of her doors onto the float she was resting on. This was the destination that the TARDIS had chosen to leave Jack for his shore leave and he was very much pleased. He would be plenty occupied and just by itself he could make a game out of how many handsome or pretty young things he could charm drinks out of.  
"No, that wasn't what I wanted at all. I'm trying to show off and the TARDIS is playing games. I didn't want to go to New Orleans." The Doctor projected in a voice that was a bit miffed. Rose looked at him disbelievingly. This couldn't be Earth, or the New Orleans she had heard about. The sky was green and it was nighttime! The Doctor caught her look and for clarity shouted over the crowd,  
"The planet New Orleans, not the Earth city." Rose shot him a surprised 'oh' look. The Doctor then walked to the quiet of the console room to see where he had gone wrong and how to get them back on track. Rose followed him without thinking about it and no sooner had she cleared the TARDIS's door then they slammed behind her, effectively locking Jack out and the Doctor and Rose in. Rose tried to reopen the door for Jack while the Doctor ran down to help her. Rose and the Doctor could not seem to make the door budge but they were able to hear a knock at the door followed by a cocky Jack shouting from outside,  
"Have fun on the honeymoon!" The TARDIS then sprang to life and the two of them were rocketed into the time vortex. The TARDIS chimed and the Doctor looked slighted at the picture in his head that the TARDIS was projecting to him.  
"What do you mean 'shore leave'?" The Doctor asked the TARDIS. The Doctor was peeved. So far nothing in his life was going as planned, first a marriage to a human who was and wasn't a stranger to him and now the TARDIS was acting up. He had wanted to impress Rose, and going to the wrong destination was not the way to do it. The TARDIS was up to her old tricks again and taking the wind out of his sail. The Doctor didn't seem to realize that if he hadn't said anything Rose wouldn't have known the difference and would have had fun all the same. But he had a plan and he wanted to see it carried out, no beating around the bush about this important thing he had to know about Rose and her character. The Doctor went to the monitor of the TARDIS and just as he did the TARDIS decided to stop. Everything seemed to check out this time, it was the right place. He just wished that he would be told when the TARDIS wanted to make side trips.  
"Well that's more like it." He said stepping toward the doors out of the TARDIS.  
"Is Jack going to be all right?" asked Rose.  
"I don't know what he's up to, but he'll be fine. We'll pick him up later after he's had his fun. Probably will end up getting arrested again and I'll have to break him out like last time." Grumbled the Doctor to Rose as he opened the door and tried to regain his impressive air. Rose giggled at the Doctor's sour mood and smiled. Now that she knew Jack was safe she could focus on the fact that the two of them were now alone. Finally they would have some time together and get to know each other again. Like a second first date.

Rose was first out this time and she was excited to see the actual destination that the Doctor had planned for them. As soon as she walked outside of the TARDIS she found herself looking down some stairs in a reasonably sized room. The walls were white looking with metal panels all about. It was very clean and at the foot of the stairs and across the room was what appeared to be a shuttered window of some kind. She continued to assess her surroundings as the Doctor noiselessly followed her out of the TARDIS to a control panel on the wall. He quickly took out his sonic screwdriver and flashed it at the panel. Having completed this task the Doctor walked down the stairs to join Rose by the now opening window. As the shutters descended it began to reveal a breathtaking orbital view of the Earth and the Sun off in the distance. Rose was awestruck; it was the loveliest thing that she ever had the privilege to see. This was wonderful maybe the Doctor wasn't so rubbish at being thoughtful after all. Rose was removed from her revelry as the Doctor began to speak.

"You lot, you spend all your time thinking about dying, like you're going to get killed by eggs or beef or global warming or asteroids. But you never take time to imagine the impossible, that maybe you survive. This is the year five point five slash apple slash twenty six. Five billion years in your future and this is the day..." Rose was amazed by what the Doctor had just told her she was in the future, the real distant future and the Earth was still there seemingly unharmed. The Doctor having paused for dramatic effect he wanted to show off his Time Lord knowledge.

"Hold on." He stated. No sooner did he pause then the sun flared and turned red. The Doctor continued,  
"This is the day the Sun expands. Welcome to the end of the world." Rose looked at the Doctor in disbelief. The blond woman couldn't believe her eyes or ears. She was witnessing the end of her planet. The end of everything that was familiar and loved. She didn't know what to say she just stared agape. Before her brain could meltdown from the information that was processing in her head she defaulted to comedy as a survival mechanism in the back of her head. And some morbid part of her brain thought,  
'Great second first date.'


	13. Chapter 13 – End of the World party!

Complicated  
by The Plot Thinens  
Chapter 13 – End of the World party!  
Rose was still soaking in the situation she found herself in as she walked down the stylish metal corridor to she knew not where, blindly following the Doctor. She was in space on a spaceship, called Platform One, waiting for the Earth to be destroyed by the Sun expanding billions of years into the future. Okay. An overhead feminine voice made announcements as they walked but Rose was still too dazed to hear all of it, but her ears did lock in on that there were to be other guests on this thing.  
"So, when it says guests, does that mean people?" Rose asked the Doctor for clarity. Guessing that Rose's limited definition of people meant humans, The Doctor looked smug and replied,  
"Depends what you mean by people." He was reveling in her lost expressions, watching her 21st century human mind trying to process all this new information, was fascinating. He loved playing tour guide. It was entertainment to him as much as it was a privilege, having all the knowledge which he could distribute about an era as if it were common fact. Maybe it was a bit controlling but he liked making people work, just a little bit, for his Time Lord knowledge. Rose was a bit frustrated with his aloof attitude but clarified her definition of what people were to her. People where people, humans. Was there a different option in this future? For all she had seen so far the only things that existed with sentient thought that were not human were the Doctor, The Family of Blood, and the Autons. And they all looked like or at least assumed for the most part, a human form.  
"I mean people. What do you mean?" Asked Rose of the Doctor.  
Little did Rose know that the Doctor was about to blow her understanding of life in the universe and its definition out the window. He would show her life in all forms and see if she could accept it. The Doctor saw all life and rather than reacting with fear he embraced it and regarded it with wonder for its differences. Could a 21st century human female do the same when put to the test? If she were to understand him and what he was, she would have to make it through this test. And even if she did pass it she might not want to continue traveling with him. And because of his attachment to her, though he had not locked down the nature of that attachment yet, it would hurt if she left. But in the long run that would probably be the easiest and least painful route for both of them. He easily could fool himself at the moment that he didn't have a strong feeling or pull for which way he hoped that this test would go. Time would just have to see how things would unfold as usual.  
"Aliens." Said the Doctor nonchalantly and he continued to walk down the corridor by her side. Rose slowed down a bit to register that information and continue to walk but asked,  
"What are they doing on board this spaceship? What's it all for?" She was genuinely curious as to why aliens would be interested in being around Earth on a spaceship when her home world was about to be destroyed.  
"It's not really a spaceship, more like an observation deck. The great and the good are gathering to watch the planet burn." Answered the Doctor in a mock serious voice. Now Rose was bowled over, of all things, why would they want to watch that beautiful planet burn? The doctor didn't seem to catch her confused look but instead waved his Sonic screwdriver at a panel on the wall that seemed to open a sliding pressured door.  
"For What?" Asked Rose somewhat scandalized almost not believing the subject at hand. The Doctor placed the sonic device back in his pocket and chimed,  
"Fun." He then walked through the door and Rose followed stunned at the Doctor's words but thirsting for more information.  
They were now in a large area that seemed built for big gatherings of 'people'. It was posh and richly adorned with expensive looking trinkets. There also were large glass-like windows in the room that looked out into space. Specifically this room seemed to be trained on the Earth, giving the viewer the best glimpse of the doomed planet below. Rose caught up with him and the Doctor went into his lecture mode.  
"Mind you, when I said the great and the good, what I mean is, the rich." Explained the Doctor to his "technically-still-his-wife" companion.  
"But, hold on. They did this once on Newsround Extra. The sun expanding, that takes hundreds of years." Stated Rose, even with her limited science knowledge she knew for a fact that the sun won't just expand all at once resulting in a catastrophic event. It would happen gradually over time and then slowly cook the Earth to death rendering it uninhabitable long before destroying it utterly. The Doctor, ever the know-it-all, corrected her.  
"Millions, but the planet's now property of the National Trust. They've been keeping it preserved. See down there? Gravity satellites holding back the sun." Stated the Doctor as he pointed out said satellites through the very larger observation windows. Yet more of Rose's rudimentary grade school education was challenged by her observations and she declared,  
"The planet looks the same as ever. I thought the continents shifted and things." The planet was just as recognizable now, billions of years into the future, as it was from globes in her classrooms growing up. And once more the well of knowledge that was the Doctor piped up,  
"They did, and the Trust shifted them back. That's a classic Earth. But now the money's run out, nature takes over." Rose found this impossible information somehow acceptable. If you can hold back the Sun with satellites, then why can't the people of the future shift continents back too? But as for the rest, Rose was still trying to suspend her belief at this when she began to wonder with curiosity about her planet's continued relative safety. If this was the day the Earth died then when on this day did that happen? She asked the Doctor,  
"How long's it got?"  
"About half an hour and then the planet gets roasted." The Doctor announced to the blond, almost as if he were talking about a campfire marshmallow roast instead of her beloved home planet. His calm and joking attitude put Rose at ease despite the situation. He seemed to be on top of everything and not worried for the Earth's safety at all. Maybe he had a plan to save the Earth. He was, without argument, quite the amazing guy. Rose smiled at him and asked,  
"Is that why we're here? I mean, is that what you do? Jump in at the last minute and save the Earth?" If this were the case then the Doctor, despite his mood swings, was quite the epic and heroic figure.  
"I'm not saving it. Time's up." He said in a somewhat clipped voice. Rose was caught off guard and couldn't believe her ears. After all she had seen him do for the Earth in the past 48 hours, he was just going to stand by and do nothing while the planet died? That didn't seem like him from what she had witnessed so far in either of his incarnations of human or Time Lord.  
"But what about all the people?" inquired Rose to the Doctor, she was worried for the Earth's inhabitants who would be trapped in the destruction.  
"It's empty. They're all gone. No one left." Answered the Doctor again in a voice that was anything but sympathetic. Rose was stunned at the thought of the Earth being completely devoid of life, human or otherwise.  
"Just me, then." Stated Rose who was taken aback and feeling quite alone 5 billion years into the future. Rose's lonely thoughts were interrupted by a blue-skinned person noisily entering the room. Rose was a bit startled at first by the shouted and then by the person's overall appearance. Not only was this person's skin color very odd to Rose, so were his eyes. They were yellow and slit like a cat, for a moment Rose wondered if this being was wearing contact lens. She didn't have time to think about it long for the person was now right in front of them.  
"Who the hell are you? How did you get in? This is a maximum hospitality zone. The guests have disembarked. They're on their way any second now." Rose was now a little freaked out and worried so she gripped the Doctors arm for comfort. Were they going to get in trouble for trespassing? She certainly didn't want the first thing to happen to her on her first trip time traveling to be getting arrested. The Doctor seemingly unconcerned pulled the psychic paper out of his pocket and flashed the paper in front of the angry blue person's face.  
"That's me. I'm a guest. Look, I've got an invitation. Look. There, you see? It's fine, you see? The Doctor plus one. I'm the Doctor, this is Rose Tyler. She's my plus one. Is that all right?" Smiled the Doctor before pulling it away from the blue person's face and putting the paper back in his pocket. The man who now identified himself as the Steward, looked flabbergasted at his ill treatment and harassment of honored guest who had every right to be here. Wanting to recover from his blunder he straightened up and announced,  
"Well, obviously. Apologies, et cetera. If you're on board, we'd better start. Enjoy." He then quickly departed for the lectern across the room. Rose was amazed at how fast the Doctor had turned around the situation in their favor and she declared,  
"That paper, I saw you use it the other night on that security guard. You flashed it at him and they let us in." The Doctor smiled at Rose and produced the paper so she could have a better look.  
"The paper's slightly psychic. It shows them whatever I want them to see. Saves a lot of time." Now no longer threatened with being kicked out, Rose's attentions went back to the odd steward.  
"He's blue." Stated Rose to which the Doctor simply replied the affirmation.  
"Okay." Was all Rose could say in response to him. What else was there to do at this point but accept whatever came her way in this never before experienced situation? The steward took this moment to tap at the microphone-like object sitting at the lectern and announced to an all but empty room,  
"We have in attendance the Doctor Smith and Rose Tyler Smith. Thank you. All staff to their positions." And with that a horde of small statured blue servants began to file into the room.  
Rose smiled at the announcement and looked to the Doctor as she absentmindedly twisted the ring on her ring finger back and forth. It was a little encouraging, if that was what he wanted the Steward to read on the invitation. The smug part of her just wished that someone besides the steward was there to hear it. She liked the idea of all knowing even a few billion years into the future that they were a couple. Of course, the rational part of her brain then had to kick in and tell her that he probably had just done it for appearances sake or out of necessity in a delicate situation. Maybe it was for sake of propriety in the future, she didn't know. But for now she was going to be optimistic and hope for because he wanted them to be known as a couple. The Doctor on the other hand had looked confused after hearing the Steward speak and quickly pulled out the psychic paper again to check on it. That wasn't what he had wanted the man to see. Why did the Steward see that? Though the Doctor didn't have too much time to worry about the psychic slip up because a few minutes later the first of the real guests had finally arrive through the door.  
Rose was truly in for a sensory overload as the most unusual creatures or rather people began to walk through the door as they were announced by the Steward. She had never seen aliens that were so alien looking before. Rose didn't know whether to gape in wonder or hide behind the Doctor in fear. Any reaction though would simply not happen as she was quite utterly glued to the floor in stunned fascination next to the Doctor. The Doctor, who was obviously used to this lot, was his usual charismatic self and greeted each alien as skillfully as any diplomat. Among the honored guest Rose observed were tree-like looking people representing the Forest of Cheam, whatever that was? The Steward then announced that an exchange of gifts representing peace would take place during the event. All the while more strange creatures came into the room, including yet another blue creature with a bulbous head, The Moxx of Balhoon, being carted around on some kind of float. More strange oddities came through the door. Creatures with smoke coming out of their heads, hooded figures known as, The Adherents of the Repeated Meme, and things Rose couldn't have hoped to ever have imagined on her own came through those doors.  
The tree people where the first to approach the Doctor and Rose. The female tree, Jabe, and her two tree bodyguards were elaborately dressed and creatures of literally natural beauty. Rose could honestly day that she was the loveliest walking tree that she had ever seen and with the elegance and grace of royalty she declared,  
"The Gift of Peace. I bring you a cutting of my Grandfather." Jabe then handed the twiggy plant cutting in a pot to the Doctor who accepted it with gusto and great respect. The Doctor now looked a bit off guard and nervous as he realized that he was expected to give a gift in kind. He handed the little twig pot to Rose and started thinking about a gift to give Jabe. He had no gift suitable to speak of; that he was fast discovering as he riffled through his pockets. Thinking fast he offered the only thing he could.  
"Thank you. Yes, gifts. Er, I give you in return air from my lungs." He then began to breathe gently on the tree woman, whom seemed very pleased with the gift. Perhaps tree would appreciate a little CO2, if that was even what they breathed now.  
"How intimate." She responded in a breathy voice. To which the Doctor smiled back in a jovial tone,  
"There's more where that came from."  
"I bet there is." She said back in an amorous voice while giving the Doctor a good 'once over' glance that made Rose feel a twinge of jealousy. Once more Rose's thoughts were interrupted by the Steward.  
"From the Silver Devastation, the sponsor of the main event, please welcome the Face of Boe." Announced the Steward. A huge face in a jar, was now among the guests at this party. The Boe face was odd to be sure but not at all unpleasant. It seemed to smile at everyone in the room through the glass of its jar, but before it passed it made quick eye contact with Rose and she smiled nervously back. Rose turned her head at the sound of the Doctor's voice raising in glee to greet the next guest who happened their way.  
"The Moxx of Balhoon." Smiled the Doctor as he got slightly down to his small alien's level by bending over. The tiny blue alien seemed to appreciate the warm gesture and responded in the most respectful and formal way possible.  
"My felicitations on this historical happenstance. I give you the gift of bodily salivas." Announced the little alien; he then promptly spat in Roses face. Rose was shocked at the disgusting gesture but for the sake of diplomacy she kept quiet and whipped the alien saliva from her face. The Doctor much to her annoyance did not seem at all bothered by the fact that she had just been spat in the face and he even thanked the alien for it. This was starting to turn into a trial of her patience Rose felt and almost found herself dreading the next guest to happen her way.  
Rose was right to feel so, for the next group of people where those hooded creatures with metal arms and scary raspy voices. Something besides their appearance also bothered Rose and she didn't want to be around them at all. The Doctor didn't seem fazed at all by the imposing figures and continued to socialize with the best of them.  
"Ah! The Adherents of the Repeated Meme. I bring you air from my lungs." The Doctor breathed onto one of the hooded figures who in turn raised a huge metal claw and placed a metallic ball into the Doctor's hand.  
"A gift of peace in all good faith." Rasped the Meme, and the Doctor handed off the ball to Rose.  
The Memes then proceeded to give similar gifts to all the guest and attendants. All the festivities were put on hold as the Steward declared the appearance of the final guest to arrive.  
"And last but not least, our very special guest. Ladies and gentlemen, and trees and multiforms, consider the Earth below. In memory of this dying world, we call forth the last Human. The Lady Cassandra O'Brien Dot Delta Seventeen." Rose's curiosity was peeked at the announcement of another human, especially if it was the last one. To Rose was dumbstruck when instead of a bipedal mammal strolling in, a face in a piece of thin skin stretched on a rectangular metal frame wheeled in. Alongside this 'human' were two attendants covered from head to toe in white hospital looking gear. On their backs were weird packs with a spray pump coming out of them. The stretched skin then began to speak, Rose just gape while the Doctor smiled his manic grin.  
"Oh, now, don't stare. I know, I know it's shocking, isn't it? I've had my chin completely taken away and look at the difference. Look how thin I am. Thin and dainty. I don't look a day over two thousand." Sang the flap of skin. It then whispered to its two attendants,  
" Moisturize me. Moisturize me." One of the attendants did just that and sprayed on the skin. Now more comfortable the skin continued to talk.  
"Truly, I am the last Human. My father was a Texan, my mother was from the Arctic Desert. They were born on the Earth and were the last to be buried in its soil. I have come to honor them and say goodbye." Announced the skin which looked like it was going to cry, but having no tear ducts an attendant appeared to try to drop water on it, but the skin declined. The Skin had an attendant produce a large egg for the crowd to see.  
"Behold, I bring gifts. From Earth itself, the last remaining ostrich egg. Legend says it had a wingspan of fifty feet and blew fire from its nostrils. Or was that my third husband? Oh, no. Oh, don't laugh. I'll get laughter lines. And here, another rarity." The crowd did not seem moved, amused or even entertained by the skin. Cassandra was starting to look awkward in front of the crowd for reasons other than being a flap of skin.  
Rose was now very interested in learning how this talking skin was even possible and not believing her eyes she began to walk around the talking skin to confirm what her senses were telling her. It was indeed a thin piece of talking skin, but she did not have time to gawk at the back of Cassandra for long as the skin presented yet another earth relic. It was a classic, or at least by Rose's time it was, but now it was most likely ancient music player, a jukebox, which the skin mistakenly called an ipod.  
"According to the archives, this was called an iPod. It stores classical music from humanity's greatest composers. Play on!" shouted the skin. A little attendant then pressed a button and the song 'Tainted Love,' rang out. Just the absurdity of this being considered a classic Earth song was strange and ridiculous enough to Rose but then the Doctor started old man dancing and bobbing his head to the music.  
"Refreshments will now be served. Earth Death in thirty minutes." Announced the Steward over the loud speaker and the festivities began.  
Under different circumstances Rose might have at least laughed at the Doctor's antics but surrounded by aliens, in an alien environment, while aliens partied over false information about her planet was too much for her. Faced with nothing familiar and even the only thing recognizable, the Earth, about to be destroyed, she went into what could be described as a form of cultural shock and dizzily walked out of the room for air. She hoped that the empty halls would help clear her head. It was then that the Doctor noticed Rose leaving the room. She looked rather upset and he was concerned for her. The Doctor went to follow Rose only to be intercepted by the tree, Jabe. The Doctor was stopped in front of Jabe long enough for the Tree to take what he assumed was his picture before he was able to maneuver around the Tree. The tree thanked him but the Doctor did not hear her. Nor did he notice the tiny metal spider-like creatures beginning to creep through the shadows of Platform One.


	14. Chapter 14- Strangers on a space station

Complicated  
by the Plot Thinens  
Chapter 14- Strangers on a space station

 

Rose was walking down one of the many corridors of Platform One trying desperately to get her wits about her. 'This is life now. And it involves aliens. And Space Travel. And Time travel. This is what I married into. Okay. And I am not crazy, and this isn't a dream, this is really all happening.' Rose thought to herself as she looked for some form of comfort to put her mind at ease. She felt isolated and lost and she was wishing that the Doctor had held her hand, mentally if not physically, a bit more for this. Rose realized that the future, once she was able to comprehend that she was actually in the future, would be different, but she was not prepared for how different it would be. If the Doctor was trying to throw her into this life head first without looking then mission accomplished. But if this was his way of easing her into his life, then she was growing worried if she could keep up with him.   
The 21st century woman found a little alcove with an observation window and Rose gazed down on the Earth. She focused on the still familiar classic Earth and tried to zone out. It was so peaceful looking that it was hard to believe that it would be gone in less than a half hour. Rose's ears registered footsteps behind her and she turned to see who was approaching. A young woman who seemed to be the same race as the Steward that Rose had seen earlier was coming round the corner. She was wearing overalls with a workman's cap and a box filled with tools of some kind. She looked harmless enough but Rose was on edge and feeling cautious, maybe she had wandered into an area she shouldn't be in.  
"Sorry. Am I allowed to be in here?" questioned Rose. The woman looked a bit surprised that Rose had even spoken to her and responded,  
"You have to give us permission to talk." Rose looked perplexed at what she viewed as an odd and unnecessary restriction imposed on the Platform One attendants. Also she was not used to being in a position of superior authority over another, well other than her husband, but that had started to come into question lately.

"Er, you have permission." Said Rose feeling a bit silly. The blue woman's posture changed instantly at being granted permission to speak and she smiled as she let out a relaxed sigh.  
"Thank you. And, no, you're not in the way. Guests are allowed anywhere." The woman smiled as she leaned down to unlock a metal panel near the floor by Rose.  
"Okay. What's your name?" Asked Rose relieved at the prospect of having a one on one conversation with someone who despite their appearance seemed normal enough. And to be honest Rose was a bit more comfortable and in touch with anything that remotely resembled the working class. She was also interested in learning more about this friendly and polite individual.  
"Raffalo." Answered the woman as she continued to do her work.

"Raffalo?" Questioned Rose; wanting to make sure that she heard right. Raffalo smiled again and politely replied,  
"Yes, miss. I won't be long, I've just got to carry out some maintenance. There's a tiny little glitch in the Face of Boe's suite. There must be something blocking the system. He's not getting any hot water." The Face of Boe, Rose had seen that head jar person earlier. He had set up this party and he had a plumbing issue in his suite. 'Plumbing, I know what that is, that's familiar, thank goodness!' were the thoughts bouncing around in her head. The Londoner was relieved some things maybe didn't change.  
"So, you're a plumber?" inquired Rose desperate to confirm the existence of something familiar to her as a plumber. Ever helpful Raffalo quickly answered the affirmative.  
"They still have plumbers?" Stated Rose. It was more of a declarative statement than a question though. Rose was so happy, she could instantly relate so much more easier with this one skilled worker than any of the stuff shirts she had meet so far back in that gallery observation room. When removed from all things familiar it was true that one could begin to appreciate the simplest things from their usual life. She found her anchor, if she could relate to this one thing that they had in her time then she could surely find other things to relate to in the future.  
"I hope so, else I'm out of a job." Smiled Raffalo. Rose bantered on with the plumber for a few minute about small talk until the conversation came to the subject of places of origin. Now that Raffalo had told Rose where she was from, the blue woman inquired to where Rose was from. But only if Rose didn't mind telling her, the plumber explained. Rose didn't really know what to say. She couldn't tell the truth could she? Was time travel a normal thing to space aliens? Would she sound loony if she said she was from the same planet about to die, but a few billion years in the past? Rose decided that it would be better to be a little vague on the subject.

"No, I don't mind telling you at all. Um, I'm a long way away you could say. I just sort of hitched a lift with my husband. Well I… at least I'm pretty sure that he's still my husband. I'm kind of taking him at his word from a few days before. I mean to say… he's changed so much. It's like I don't even know who he is anymore. He had this whole other life that he was keeping secret from me when we got married. He didn't mean to, but he did. And now he just expects me to fall in line with his life. And I don't even know if he's going to make any compromises with me either. I wonder if he even is considering my feelings most times… And now he's not really the man I married anymore, but he is…and and there is just so much now to learn about him. He's almost, like he's a complete stranger. I don't even know his name!" Babbled Rose to Raffalo. The blond was fast realizing that she was having another 'panic attack' like the one she had in the large gallery and that what she was saying was starting to sound very bad. Rose had to change the subject before she ran out of places that she could retreat to in order to get some air. The human woman began the process of calming herself down. Raffalo however did not miss that Rose seemed upset over her situation and tried to mask her concern behind her professional air. Even if guests had messed up lives or were in questionable situations it was not her place to say anything. But she could still be sympathetic.

"Anyway, don't let me keep you. Good luck with it." Announces Rose as she regained her composure and began to walk away, but before she could go Raffalo thanked her for extending to her the unusual permission to socialize with a guest. Rose smiled at her, it was nothing really. Rose should be thanking her. Being able to touch base with a relatively "normal person" from this time had helped her ground herself in this century more than the Doctor had at this point. He seemed content to throw her into the deep end of the pool and see if she could swim. Rose walked off to a place, that she still hoped was private, to really think about her circumstances right now with her technically-still-her-husband.

 

The Doctor lost track of Rose and was trying to locate her as he combed the halls of Platform One. Honestly, he always told companions to not wander off and what was the first thing that they would always do? Wander off. He had even specifically instructed her on not running off two days ago and of course she didn't listen. Not only that but didn't she know that she was going to miss out if she stayed hiding any longer? The Doctor had notice that she seemed upset and he wasn't blind enough to realize that she was probably feeling a bit in over her head right now, but how was he suppose to evaluate her if he couldn't observe her? The Doctor was about to head down the last corridor that Rose could possibly be in when he heard the Steward's voice on the overhead informing him that he had to valet park his blue box that was currently illegally parked in Gallery 15 immediately. Apparently it had been moved to the Steward's office and that was where he had to claim it. The TARDIS was now taking priority, as they needed it to leave and getting the TARDIS impounded would just add unnecessary difficulties later. He supposed that Rose would be fine on her own for a few more minutes.

 

Rose had found her way back to the same Gallery that they had arrived in. If she had not heard the Steward's announcement then she might have been worried to find the TARDIS not there, but as she had heard, Rose was content to sit and stare at her dying planet out the window. Why did her life have to be so dramatic? She had thought that after marrying John and making efforts to get her life on track, would, well, get her life on track. Instead, she had been thrown down a path that, even with her past, she couldn't have ever expected. And now she was married to a man she knew even less than any human stranger on the street she could find. He was a stranger who didn't seem to want to take an active part or initiative in getting to know her personally or let her begin to know him. If this relationship was going to go anywhere they had to learn to talk to each other, again.  
Once more the loudspeaker chimed her planet's remaining minutes left to live and Rose sarcastically voiced her thanks for the information to the air. Rose looked to the little tree cutting that she had carried with her and found it somewhat comforting. It was the only thing here that, beside the Doctor, looked at least like something familiar. Perhaps she did it to calm herself or maybe she was losing it, but she began to talk to the little plant. Implying that because she was named Rose and it was a plant that they might be related. Finally Rose got her senses about her and realized that she was talking to a twig and continued to mope. As Rose was sulking she did not seem to notice that just behind her perch on the stairs, one of the 'gifts' that she had been carrying around for the Doctor was behaving strangely. The small silvery ball that had been given by the Memes had opened up a secret compartment revealing a tiny spider-like robot. It scampered around a bit as it got a feel for its new environment, unseen by Rose. Finally getting its bearings, the spider spotted Rose and deemed her a threat. It stalked up, unseen and unnoticed, to attack her but was spooked by the sound of someone approaching from the door behind them.  
"Rose? Are you there?" called out the Doctor to his technically-still-his-wife. Not wanting to risk exposure, just yet, the metal spider quickly retreated into an air vent and disappeared out of sight.  
The Doctor walked through the door leading to Rose's location and unknown to Rose or the Doctor, the Doctor had saved his wife's life from the little monster. Having found his human companion, he jaunted down the stairs, all smiles, and sat himself down on the opposite side of the staircase. Rose couldn't help but feel that his choice of seating and the distance the staircase put between them served as an appropriate metaphor for their current relationship issues. The human woman looked at the Doctor acknowledging him, but found that now that he was in front of her, she was finding it difficult to start a conversation. How different that was for her? Back when The Doctor just knew himself as John, she never shut up around him and vice versa. That was, of course, unless one of them put a stop to the other's gob with a kiss. Again Rose was finding the situation difficult and pounded her head mentally for some topic to bring up just to break the ice. Fortunately, Rose was saved the trouble when the Doctor, now comfortably reclined on the staircase asked,  
"Aye, aye. What do you think, then?" That was a very vague question to Rose. 'What do I think? I think that I'm feeling alone. Scared. Confused. And you aren't helping.' Thought Rose to herself, but she was looking for a conversation and not a fight. And this was the first time that he had tried to really engage her in conversation instead of the other way around. She didn't want to mess up this chance so for the sake of this possibly being a longer conversation she decided to talk about the current event and not her marital issues yet. Taking a deep breath and trying to sound more confident and relaxed then she really was she replied,  
"Great. Yeah, fine. Once you get past the slightly psychic paper." Having answered his question, hopefully to his liking, Rose decided to try to talk about how the alien-everything was making her feel.  
"They're just so alien. The aliens are so alien. You look at 'em and they're alien." Explained Rose struggling to get her point, meaning, whatever, out into words. She wanted him to understand her clearly and was finding her own apish tongue inadequate to aid her. She didn't want him to feel that he was being insulted or that she was being insensitive. She just needed him to understand that she needed some time and understanding to get through this situation. It was a lot to swallow all at once and she had hoped again to be eased into his world. However, if he wanted to throw her head first into it, she was going to try her damndest to make it.

"Good thing I didn't take you to the Deep South." Joked the Doctor, who might have been trying to dodge a more serious conversation with the human. Rose wasn't in a mood for jokes anymore and nor did she want the Doctor cracking jokes right now when she was trying to yet again have a serious talk. Who did he think he was anyway? He couldn't dangle her on a thread just because he was some big and important space alien time traveler from…  
"Where are you from?" Asked Rose. She already established to herself that she knew nothing about him, but now obvious questions that needed answering were floating to the top of her head. It would be nice to know what planet she had married into. Much to Rose's disappointment, the Doctor replied,  
"All over the place." Vague again, she moved onto her next question, not feeling the need just yet to press him. She could still get more answers out of him later in their chat if she changed the subject to a more comfortable subject. In hopes to loosen his lecturing tongue she asked about the future aliens,  
"They all speak English." Worked like a charm and the Doctor declared,  
"No, you just hear English. It's a gift of the Tardis. The telepathic field, gets inside your brain and translates."  
This bit of information left Rose dumbstruck. Didn't he see fit to tell her anything? If he was going to let some piece of alien hardware probe and mess with her head, then it would have been nice to at least ask her first.  
"It's inside my brain?" She asked for clarity, she still couldn't believe his thoughtlessness. What if something went wrong and it accidently scrambled her brain? To her knowledge messing around with something as delicate as the human brain was and/ or could be a very very bad thing.

"Well, in a good way." Shot back the Doctor with a smile, sensing Rose's distress. She was done treading softly and now wanted to make it clear by spelling it out exactly how she felt to the Doctor.  
"Your machine gets inside my head. It gets inside and it changes my mind, and you didn't even ask?" reprimanded Rose to the Doctor.  
"I didn't think about it like that." Replied the Doctor, obviously not thinking it such a big deal.  
"No you don't think do you? Big Time Lord brain that you keep bragging about and you don't have a single thought for common courtesy. You were too busy thinking up cheap shots about the Deep South. Who are you, then, Doctor? All I know about you is that you're a Time Lord, whatever that is, but it sound stuck up, yeah?! And that once my husband got all his memories back he became an unfeeling, uncaring git to his wife! And that I don't even know your real name!" Shouted Rose to her moron of a husband. The Doctor was now getting peeved with her round of questions and her attitude sat up straight and announced in an irritated voice,  
"I'm just the Doctor." Why did humans always need more? Why wasn't just The Doctor a good enough name, movie stars and rich people on her planet gave their kids weirder names than his. Thought the Doctor to himself.  
"From what planet? Where are Time Lords from?" Demanded Rose of her husband. Again the Doctor was irritated, what did it matter what planet he was from? He could have said he was from the planet of the bananas for all she knew and even if he said that, she would know no better.

"Well, it's not as if you'll know where it is!" Said the Doctor in an aggravated tone. Rose was having none of his misdirecting answers.  
"Where are you from?" She yelled. The Doctor raised his voice to match the blond and leaned in and shouted back,  
"What does it matter?"  
"What does it matter? It matters to me! Tell me who you are! Who did I marry?" bellowed Rose, why did he even ask her to come along if he wasn't going to at least tell her his bloody postal code. Surely just telling her the name of his planet wasn't going domestic. And why was his name such a secret? The Doctor had no patience left for this blond human.  
"This is who I am, right here, right now, all right? All that counts is here and now, and this is me." Barked the Doctor, clearly on the defensive.  
"Yeah, and I'm here too because you brought me here, so just tell me." Demanded Rose but also almost imploring too.

 

The Doctor didn't want any part of his brain to think about where he was from or who he was. He traveled through all of time and space now just to forget and runaway from his past and now how dare this ignorant Earth dweller try to drag him back kicking and screaming to those dark buried thoughts. If he even stopped moving for a minute his mind drifted to dark thoughts, couldn't she just leave him be? Had he not suffered enough? She didn't know him and she just swooped into his life when he was literally in the most weakened state he'd ever been in and now was making demands of him. Taking him out of his comfort zone and well complicating his already complicated life that he wished would get uncomplicated already. But no, when every time things seemed to be going according to plan the universe would throw something in his path and now he was stuck with this human who, for Rassilon's sake, he could not understand why he couldn't get rid of, even if he wanted to. Everything would have been easier if she had just gotten freaked out earlier and ran away screaming from him like all humans normally did. Why was she so different? If one of them didn't make a decision once and for all for her to stay or go, and soon, it was going to drive them both crazy. This test was taking forever in the Doctor's opinion and he wished it would hurry up before Roe started bugging him for information about his childhood too.  
The Doctor, needing some space from the heated argument, got up from his seat and walked lower down into the room to the observation window. Rose was about to tell him not to walk away from their discussion, but their frustrated and angry argument was interrupted by the computer voice from before telling all that the Earth only had 20 minutes to live. Having a break in the conversation made Rose realize that she had let her temper get the better of her and now this turtle of a alien man had gone back into his shell and who knew how long it would take for him to poke his head back out again. Any further discussion on the subject might make him take even more steps away not just physically. Rose got off her perch and walked down to the Doctor side to join him. She relented for now and took a deep breath before saying in a calming but nervous voice.  
"All right. As my mate Shareen says, don't argue with the designated driver. Can't exactly call for a taxi." This light attempt at humor seemed to relax the Doctor's mood. If she didn't save this conversation and now, then if they had been dating, and not married, under normal circumstances, this probably would have been when the date would have ended for the night. They could then give themselves time to cool their heads before making up. But there was already enough distance between them and she didn't want to leave him alone. She wasn't blind and could see that something about the information that he was withholding upset him, she just couldn't think what that was. Looking for a distraction Rose's hand from memory found their way into her pocket and pulled out her phone which she looked at more out of habit then wanting to make a call. Looking at the screen she realized that there were no bars on her mobile phone indicating that there was no signal for her phone to catch. Realizing she might be able to use the phone as a topic to change the conversation around and possibly get the Doctor talking again she declared in a voice trying for light hearted,  
"There's no signal. We're out of range. Just a bit." This statement peaked the Doctor's interest and he had an idea of what to do to fix such a simple problem. He dashed over to Rose and grabbed her phone gently from her hand.  
"Tell you what." said the Doctor as he took the back of the phone apart and replaced its battery with some space age looking attachment.  
"With a little bit of jiggery pokery." He continued as he fiddled with the phone. Rose found what he was doing as fascinating as what he was saying. Loving the direction the conversation had taken she began to smile and joke with the Doctor over his tinkering.  
"Is that a technical term, jiggery pokery?" Smirked Rose as she got closer to him as she looked over his arm to watch his nimble hands work with her phone. The Doctor just smiled back,  
"Yeah, I came first in jiggery pokery. What about you?" Rose laughed and replied,  
"No, I failed hullabaloo." The Doctor sighed in sympathy for her and finished his phone modification by putting the battery casing back on.  
"Oh. There you go." Said the Doctor as he tossed Rose the phone looking quite proud of himself.

 

Rose looked at the Doctor a bit in disbelief and confusion of what he just did to her phone. She figured that she would test it out to see if it did actually still work with the battery replaced with something else. It appeared to be on and she speed dialed her home number. To Rose's delight the phone began to ring, she was calling her mother 5 billion years into the future! She smiled to the Doctor and he just smiled back. Finally her mother answered the phone.  
"Hello?" Asked Jackie into the flat's phone, on the Powell Estate, back in the 21st century.  
"Mum?" Asked Rose in return, still not believing that she was talking to her mother in the past while being in the future. If she were to keep traveling with the Doctor then this would be a great comfort if this phone worked in any time or place. This was the sweetest thing the Doctor could have done for her now that she felt so alone and upset. And how very domestic of him to help her call her mother to make her feel better. For a guy who claimed not to do domestic, this was very domestic and she appreciated the gesture with all her single heart. But that warm feeling went right out the window the second Jackie realized that she was talking to Rose.  
"Rose! Where are you, love? Are you safe? Are you hurt? I've been worried sick! I haven't heard from you since last night! I nearly get killed and I come home and find the place looking like there was a fight! Did John do it to you! Did he hurt you?! He did, didn't he? He's got you locked up and bleeding somewhere doesn't he?! Just tell me where you are and I'll have the coppers after him and get you out of there. He's no good for you, oh, just wait until I get my hands on him, he won't live long enough to see his day in court!" panicked Jackie over the phone, all the while Rose was trying in vain to calm her mother down. This was not easy when she couldn't get her mother to stop talking long enough so she could explain herself. Finally Jackie had to take in air to breathe and that was when Rose seized the moment.

"Mum! I'm Okay! John didn't hurt me, I'm fine!" Rose pleaded. Jackie was not buying it and figured that Rose was being coerced somehow. Perhaps she was even at gun point and being made to say those things. Her mind was running wild with thoughts of horrible situations that her only daughter could be in.  
"Then why was the table smashed in? Is he listening? Just give me a signal and I'll call the police!"  
"Nothing is wrong, Mum. John is such a klutz, you know, that he slipped on the rug and broke it! We went home after that so he could rest. We're out getting you a new coffee table now. He's really sorry about that, yeah? You all right, though?" Lied Rose, it wasn't like she could tell her Mum that she was attacked by plastic in the form of an arm and that's how her table got smashed up or that she was 5 billion years in the future right now and not at a furniture store. Once she got back her Mum would have her committed and probably the Doctor too if she could catch him.  
"Yeah, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be? You called me last night and I was fine. Just don't scare me like that again, got it?" Scolded Jackie.  
"Right, I'm sorry. What day is it?" Asked Rose wanting to change the subject back to something more pleasant than Jackie's dislike of John.  
"Wednesday, all day. You got a hangover? What, is that why you weren't back at the flat when I got home? Went back to bed with that man of yours? I bet he's always getting you drunk. Are you still coming over tonight?" Declared Jackie.  
" Yeah, er, I mean, I was just calling 'cos…I might be late coming back.  
"Why, is there something wrong? Really you can tell me." Whispered Jackie to Rose.  
"No. I'm fine. Top of the world." Smiled Rose to herself as she looked out at the Earth through the window. Jackie had no choice but to be satisfied with her answer and hung up the phone. Rose held the phone out in front of her and looked at it in awe.  
"Think that's amazing, you want to see the bill." Smirked the Doctor to Rose. Rose was still silent but finally spoke her thoughts out loud.  
"That was five billion years ago. So, she's dead now. Five billion years later, my mum's dead." Said Rose, the concept just dawning on her of calling someone who had been dead for billions of years by the time the phone call was made. The idea of her mother dead, being in a time where her mother was surely dead saddened her.  
"Bundle of laughs, you are." Said the Doctor sarcastically. Suddenly, there was a rumbling and an explosion noise. The platform then began to shake for a bit and stopped. Shaking was a little disconcerting when in outer space on a space station. It was clearly not normal and the Doctor looking about conspiratorially said to Rose matter-of-factly,  
"That's not supposed to happen." The Doctor then ran off to the large Gallery containing the other guest. Hopefully he could find some answers there. Rose followed behind him, she knew something was up and even if though the Steward announced that it was just a gravity pocket, whatever that was. The Doctor was clearly not convinced and based on her experience with the Doctor; his knowledge was most likely superior to the Steward's.


	15. The Sh_t hits the fan – Chapter 15

Complicated  
by The Plot Thinens  
The Sh_t hits the fan – Chapter 15

The Doctor with Rose in tow made their entrance back into the main observation gallery. There was a computer panel on the side of the door that they just step through and the Doctor proceeded to fiddle with it trying to find out as much information as he could about the 'gravity pockets'.  
"That wasn't a gravity pocket. I know gravity pockets and they don't feel like that." Declared the Doctor to Rose from over his shoulder. He then noticed that Jabe was observing them from just a few steps away and asked for her opinion.  
"What do you think, Jabe? Listened to the engines. They've pitched up about thirty Hertz. That dodgy or what?" Jabe just looked at him a little confused. She was not an expert by any means on the subject of metal and replied,  
"It's the sound of metal. It doesn't make any sense to me." The Doctor still not discouraged asked another question,  
"Where's the engine room?" Jabe didn't know the answer either and was feeling a little inadequate for not being able to be more helpful to this engaging Doctor man. She then got an idea and announced to the Doctor,  
"I don't know, but the maintenance duct is just behind our guest suite, I could show you and your wife." The Doctor looked startled at the implication that Rose was his wife, he didn't think that the way they conducted themselves screamed married couple. He knew for a fact that none of the guests had been close enough to hear the Steward's earlier implied announcement, thanks to the psychic paper mix up. He would have sooner expected someone to mistake her for his daughter before they would think that such a lovely creature could possibly be married to an ugly scarred old man like himself. Someone like her should be surrounded by countless young and handsome suitors not hitched to an old sinking battleship like himself. What was she thinking when she agreed to marry John? Suddenly he realized that he had to say something and declare a title to Rose in relation to him. The Doctor's mind was going a-light-year-a-minute and he stumbled and tripped on his words as he tried to get them out. Half of him knew what he wanted to say and what Rose was desperate to hear, but that stubborn other half wanted to say different, a battle for a single word on his tongue began so all he managed to get out was,  
"N… Ye… well, it's complicated…" He trailed off and tried not to look at Rose because a part of him felt despicable for what he just did to her. Why could he not escape domestics? Especially with this pink and yellow human. Why couldn't people just leave him alone? Why did everyone else think that everything needed a title or designation? He didn't have too long to cringe as Jabe fired off more questions trying to determine what Rose was to him.  
"Partner?" She asked a little mystified by the faint responds, they might not be married but they could be a bonded pair, she thought.

"No..." Well, she sort of was but that wasn't the word he would use to describe her. There was no putting in words what she was to him or what his feelings for her were, maybe he should have said that out loud. He began to realize that this was fast escalating into a misunderstanding or communication error. Now Jabe was getting curious, perhaps his relationship to this little blond person was somewhat embarrassing to mention out loud in mixed company, like an escort or mistress, and that was why the Doctor was being so evasive in her questions. Couldn't let the missus find out through the grapevine that you were out and about with some pretty young thing while she stayed at home. Or perhaps she was of a lower class status to him. Still she needed clarity or the closest that she could get to it before moving on further. She really fancied him and the sooner she established that the blond was of no consequence to the Doctor then the sooner, without being rude to either party, could she begin to engage the Doctor in more intimate conversation.

"Concubine?" inquired Jabe conspiratorially under her breath, moving down the list of familiar associations in a voice loud enough for the three to hear but not the rest of the room.  
"No, nope." Clarified the Doctor, really wishing this conversation would end now. And why did everyone always think everyone was sleeping with everyone else? Well technically they had, and how!.. but that was under complicated circumstances, difficult to explain even if he wanted to explain it to a stranger.

"Prostitute?" Jabe asked as a finally solution to what Rose's relationship to the Doctor must be. 'She had to go there' thought the Doctor trying to convince himself that nothing insulting had been implied of Rose. Although another part of him wanted to be outraged at the suggestion, but the Time Lord part of him that despised domestics tamped those feelings down. Rose on the other hand looked outraged. Who did this tree woman think she was speculating such things about her as if she wasn't even in the room? And she voiced her displeasure,  
"Whatever I am, it must be invisible. Do you mind? I've gone through enough today without being called a slapper on top of it all." Rose's attentions then turned to the Doctor, was he going to defend her? Before she was too shocked at his earlier response to Jabe's questions, especially his vagueness on his marital status, and was just watching dumbstruck as said conversation between the Doctor and tree went on. Now that she had remembered herself she looked at the Doctor affronted. But then she remembered that it wasn't John she was looking at, it was the Doctor now, and things were different. It was painful when he said hurtful things, especially for the brief moments whenever she forgot that she wasn't listening to just John anymore. If it had been John she would have either smacked him or ran out of the room in tears, maybe both. But again with the Doctor her feelings were jumbled. She knew what she wanted to feel, but it didn't seem right for some reason too.

Rose was trying to look into the Doctor's eyes but he was skillfully avoiding her glances. Still, he had not outright denied that they were married but he had not confirmed it either. She reminded herself of his neutral stance in order to remain optimistic. After all, undecided was still more of a chance than dead-set against, right? This situation was just as odd to her as it was for him. The blonde understood that and she wanted to help them both through it. And as much as she wanted to rage at him in frustration, she knew that her best bet now was probably to do the adult thing and give him space if he still wasn't comfortable in public with their relationship. Although she didn't want to widen the gap between them more, she was realizing that she might have to take a step back to get to take steps closer to the Doctor. And she wasn't going to stand there and be insulted while her husband just stood idly by either. Maybe this would pour some guilt on him for his ill treatment of her, either way the blond was going off on her own again. She wasn't some helpless thing and she was angry with the doctor, so why shouldn't he sweat for a while? If he were physically capable of it. Of course this was all hinging on the idea that he actually cared if she were upset and could just as easily backfire if he got the impression that she was indifferent to his behaviors around others, especially women. She had to be brave and try a leap of faith, Rose took a deep breath and said in the most mature voice she could,  
"Tell you what, you two make like a tree and 'leave' for that duct. I'm going to catch up with family. Quick word with Michael Jackson." Rose then began the painful march away from the Doctor to the skin flap 'human'. Perhaps some human-like company would do her good even if it did seem a bit stuck up. The Doctor made some joke about her not fighting and in a most gallant fashion, that Rose had not seen since the Doctor only knew himself as John, lead the elegant and refine Jabe away on his arm.  
"And I want you home by midnight." shouted Rose in what she hoped didn't look or feel like a pathetic attempt to appear to be in control of the situation or her husband. Rose wasn't sure if the Doctor heard her as she watched him leave in the arms of another woman, but Rose just straightened up and made her way past the odd looking aliens. She hoped that he got that she trusted him alone with her, that she knew he wouldn't cheat. She then let out an exasperated sigh at her train of thoughts. 'No domestics, no domestics, he's just being diplomatic. He wants to make sure we're all safe. You agreed to this.' She chided herself.

This tree woman liked the Doctor, Rose knew that, and as much as the Doctor's words had been discouraging to her they were also encouraging, but to Jabe it was only encouraging. Rose surmised that Jabe's desire to show the maintenance ducts to the Time Lord was done not only to be helpful to the Doctor but also to fulfill a strong wanting of alone time with him. What that implied was frightening to Rose, especially since he seemed more open and comfortable with the tree woman than his own human wife. Rose was upset but she would show that she trusted him. That was what they needed. Trust was the first thing that they solidified in their relationship the first time around and it would have to be for the second time too. So as much as it hurt her to watch another woman, at least she thought it was a woman, walk off with her John; she had said that she was going to say hi to the family instead. And once more the Earth's oncoming death was announced. Fifteen minutes remaining.  
The Doctor and Jabe made their way down the maintenance duct unaware that the multitude of tiny spider robots that had been engaged in gremlin-like activities had just sneaked out of sight. Much to the Doctor's irritation he learned from Jabe that not only was he dealing with a technical problem but a bad case of old fashioned hubris too. Jabe had informed the Doctor that Platform One was completely automated, believed that nothing could go wrong with it, and as a result there was no crew to fix things if something went wrong with the vital guts of the ship.

"Unsinkable?" asked the Doctor of Jabe as he rolled his eyes. Jabe looked a bit confused as he made the ancient metaphorical connection and the replied,  
"If you like. The nautical metaphor is appropriate."  
"You're telling me. I was on board another ship once. They said that was unsinkable. I ended up clinging to an iceberg. It wasn't half cold. So, what you're saying is, if we get in trouble there's no one to help us out?" Announced the Doctor.  
"I'm afraid not." Said Jabe sadly. The Doctor once more rolled his eyes and proceeded further down the maintenance duct.  
"Fantastic." He sighed. Jabe once more looked mystified at the Doctor's choice in words. Perhaps it was a language or cultural difference and inquired,  
"I don't understand. In what way is that fantastic?" She then dutifully followed behind him, ever so curious at what the tall, mysterious, and somewhat charming man would do next.  
'Maybe this wasn't a good idea,' thought the Doctor. He wanted to give Rose the shock treatment, not put her in the path of possible danger for no reason. If things got any worse he might have her hid away in the TARDIS until he sorted this problem out. Not that he was concerned that he couldn't fix the problem, but it would be one less thing to worry about if she were safe in the TARDIS. Of course from what he had seen so far of Rose and what memories he retained from when he was John, she probably would never agree to just stay behind in the TARDIS, when he was possibly in even a little danger, unless he tricked her. Either way he better finish dealing with this fast.

Back in the observation room, Rose was finding out first hand why Cassandra appeared to be the odd man… er… skin out of this group. Her previous speech had hidden nothing of her personality and she was everything that she appeared to be at a glance. Any sense of cordiality was literally only skin deep. Metaphorically underneath that skin, because she was only a few millimeters thick, she was a cruel and stuck up excuse for humanity. How depressing if this was the last technically genetically recognized human. Oh but she was speaking again, how she even managed to do that without the use of vocal cords was still a wonder to Rose and she couldn't help but stare at the talking skin, even if what came out of 'her' mouth wasn't at all pleasant.  
"Soon, the sun will blossom into a red giant, and my home will die. That's where I used to live, when I was a little boy, down there. Mummy and Daddy had a little house built into the side of the Los Angeles Crevice. I'd have such fun." Rose realized that if this 'human' had lived on Earth before it was vacated as the Doctor told her, then maybe Cassandra would know where all the humans went. And how humanity had died out. Rose with more enthusiasm then she had been previously showing toward this conversation, due to her attentions being divided between gawking at the skin and wondering what the Doctor was up to, questioned,  
"What happened to everyone else? The human race, where did it go?"  
"They say mankind has touched every star in the sky." Answered Cassandra as if she were performing on stage. If that was the case then there was no way humans could all be extinct.  
"So, you're not the last human." Asked Rose in a somewhat accusatory voice.  
"I am the last pure human. The others mingled." She answered with pride of her pedigree and then with disgust toward the 'remnants' of her kind. Cassandra then continued on about her hateful disgust of what was left of humanity.  
"Oh, they call themselves New humans and Proto-humans and Digi-humans, even 'Humanish, but you know what I call them?" declared Cassandra. The last part she indicated with her eyes for Rose to come closer so that she could whisper her answer seemingly to not be heard by the rest of the guests.  
"Mongrels." Realization dawned on Rose, and any forced diplomatic respect instantly disappeared towards the racist flap of flesh still stubbornly clinging to a dying bit of DNA code.  
"Right. And you stayed behind." Said Rose with sarcasm in mock agreement.  
"I kept myself pure." Said the skin with pride and an air of regality that she thought only came with her 'quality' of breeding. This was ridiculous, Rose couldn't believe the level of backwards thinking this 'person' had clasped onto just to, in her eyes because that was all that was left, not change. It was pathetic how much she had changed herself to 'not change'. Disgusted she asked Cassandra,  
"How many operations have you had?"  
"Seven hundred and eight. Next week, it's seven hundred and nine. I'm having my blood bleached." Announced the skin proudly, as if it were a great accomplishment. Cassandra then gave Rose an appraising glance, not seeing something that met up to her standards of perfection she asked Rose,  
"Is that why you wanted a word? You could be flatter, Rose. You've got a little bit of a chin poking out." Rose couldn't believe what she was hearing from this skin. Rose was more than happy with herself and her appearance for starters. She didn't need to change her outward appearance to be happy. And she could never fathom doing what Cassandra had done to herself just to cling onto life a little longer. This was no way to live. There was no dignity in how Cassandra lived. It wasn't even living at all. What Cassandra considered as the normal way to continue existing was, to Rose, worse than Rose's worst nightmare. She then replied without any hesitation or thought,  
"I'd rather die." Cassandra, mistakenly thinking that Rose was simply too scared of what the skin flap saw as a simple and safe procedure, retorted with a smile,  
"Honestly, it doesn't hurt." How could it? She barely had any nerve endings left. Rose then made her statement as clear as she could and declared,  
"No, I mean it. I would rather die. It's better to die than live like you, a bitchy trampoline." Cassandra was now put off by Rose. She had completely misjudged the pink and yellow thing in from of her and condescended,  
"Oh, well. What do you know." The Skin then rolled her eyes at Rose and looked away. Rose got up in the skin's 'face,' she was angry. The blond was through with being polite to this thing as it 'stood' there insulting not only Rose's mind and appearance, but also what were her future human descendants. And no one insulted her family not even, through an accident of biology, the last remaining thing that was the closest genetically to her. With the pride of the entire human race, and what it would one day become behind her and even the Earth, both physically and metaphorically, she announced to the skin,  
"I was born on that planet, and so was my mum, and so was my dad, and that makes me officially the last human being in this room, 'cos you're not human. You've had it all nipped and tucked and flattened till there's nothing left. Anything human got chucked in the bin. You're just skin, Cassandra. Lipstick and skin. Nice talking." She then walked away with her head held high and irritated that she had wasted one millisecond of her life talking to that thing. Little did Rose realize that has she left the room the Adherents were watching her and that a petty and stuck up thing was plotting revenge.

 

The Doctor and Jabe were now even closer to the heart of the platform's inner workings. The Doctor was using his Sonic Screwdriver to help direct him to the appropriate panels and systems that he needed to visit to evaluate the mechanical problems. It figures that he would go to a place to party and end up playing repairman instead. Getting bored of silence and always looking to expand his knowledge he decided to engage Jabe in some small talk as they searched.  
"So tell me, Jabe, what's a tree like you doing in a place like this?" asked the Doctor. The Tree smiled and replied,  
"Respect for the Earth." The Doctor didn't buy that as the full truth and pushed for more information.

"Oh, come on. Everyone on this platform's worth zillions." Jabe had to admit that it was important to show up at the right occasion in order to network, be seen in the right places and help business along.  
The Doctor smiled knowingly, he knew all about the business lot and especially the Trees. They were not only rich but land wealthy too. Jabe agree that share prices had part to do with her visit to the Earth but all the same she and her people held great respect for the Earth. The Trees were descendants of the trees of Earth after all. The Doctor then excused himself to fiddle with a computer panel, but Jade was still curious about the Doctor and his reasons for coming. Or rather more how this trouble finding being was able to come at all. The Doctor cursed to himself as he was denied access to the computer, his actions however were interrupted by Jabe.  
"And what about your ancestry, Doctor? Perhaps you could tell a story or two. Perhaps a man only enjoys trouble when there's nothing else left." She declared before taking on a more sympathetic tone.  
"I scanned you earlier. The metal machine had trouble identifying your species. It refused to admit your existence. And even when it named you, I wouldn't believe it. But it was right. I know where you're from. Forgive me for intruding, but it's remarkable that you even exist. I just wanted to say how sorry I am." Said Jabe sadly and in earnest, she then placed her wooden-like hand over the Doctor's leather clad arm to show her sympathies and support. In a gesture surprising even to himself he placed his hand over hers. It was strangely comforting to find someone that he didn't have to first explain his trouble to in order to gain sympathy and understanding. Nothing had to be said or explained because it was already understood by both parties. At Jabe's words the Doctor quietly wept, but his sad thoughts were broken up by the sound of the metal door his efforts had finally managed to open. The Doctor and Jade then walked through the door into the newly accessed engine room.  
Once inside the engine room the two aliens found a humongous chamber with a catwalk leading to the other side of the room, inconveniently blocked by giant rotating fans. And around the catwalk was a sheer drop down to the depths of the Platform in a design strangely reminiscent of the Death Star in one of the Star Wars movies. It wouldn't surprise the Doctor if those movies and their influence survived this long into the future. But any way, it was an odd design for this time period, thought the Doctor. The Doctor then commented on the temperature of the room being nippy before getting back to the business of finding out why the Platform had shaken in the first place. However, little to the Doctor's knowledge, his jeopardy friendly human bride was stepping into more trouble.  
Rose found herself once again marching the halls of the platform to air her head. So far the only thing she liked about the future was nothing much at all. She hoped that all of the Doctor's trips wouldn't be like this. Or if they were then she hoped that she could speedily adapt to them. Rose shook with indignity at the memory of her talk with Cassandra and wondered if she couldn't find Raffalo again or the employee lounge to talk to some real future people and not these stuck up dignitaries. Rose was removed from her inner thoughts by the sound of feet trooping up the hall. She looked up only to see the creepy Adherents coming upon her but before she could even get out of their way the world went black. Rose had dropped to the floor like a sack of potatoes after having been pistol whipped to the side of her head by one of the cloaked aliens. Having knocked their prey silly, they dragged Rose into the adjoining room.  
The Doctor observed the fans again as he looked about the room for some bit of hardware or software he could deal with.  
"Fair do's, though, that's a great bit of air conditioning. Sort of nice and old fashioned. Bet they call it retro." Smirked the Doctor as he finally came upon yet another panel to inspect. Jabe had no idea what retro was or most of what was coming out of the Doctor's mouth but she continued to watch and listen. Using his sonic once more, The Doctor scanned the locked panel and it opened. But much to both Jabe and the Doctor's surprise a tiny little metal spider scurried out and began to climb up the opposite wall of the engine room.  
"What the hell's that?" Asked the Doctor deservingly. Jabe was even more confused by the little robot and asked the Doctor,  
"Is it part of the retro?"  
"I don't think so. Hold on." replied the Doctor as he concentrated on aiming his sonic screwdriver at the spider-thing. Before the Doctor could act, Jabe much to the Doctor's amazement had lassoed the menace with a vine like appendage from her hands. The Doctor complimented Jabe on her catch to which Jabe blushed and explained that she wasn't suppose to show them in public. She was Indicating to the Time Lord that it was an intimate act to display them in front of the Doctor, even to just help him. The Doctor found that he was finding himself liking Jabe more and more by the minute. She would have made a good companion, but his TARDIS had more than enough occupants at the moment and he was pretty sure that the life he led wouldn't be in her style. He was probably just a passing fancy to her anyway. Someone fun to flirt with and possibly get a good night in the sack with, but nothing more.  
"Don't worry, I won't tell anybody. Now then, who's been bringing their pets on board?" inquired the Doctor to himself. Jabe observed the tiny metal creature with fascinated horror,  
"What does it do?" she asked. The Doctor grimly replied,  
"Sabotage." This thing was obviously set here to tear apart this space structure, and who knew how many more there were onboard. It was then the over head computer chose that moment to announce that they only hand ten minutes before Earth Death. A grim reality struck the Doctor as he realized what these things, because most likely there were more, were here to do and he shouted off as he ran back to the observation gallery,  
"And the temperature's about to rocket. Come on." The Doctor had really stepped in it now and he just hoped that this Time Lord had not run out of time.


	16. Chapter 16 - Baptized by fire

Complicated  
by The Plot Thinens  
Baptized by fire –Chapter 16

Seemingly unaware of the trouble at hand, the aliens gathered to watch the 'show'. Cassandra, acting as the undesired master of ceremony bellowed with pride,  
"The planet's end. Come gather, come gather. Bid farewell to the cradle of civilization. Let us mourn her with a traditional ballad." The jukebox was turned on once more and the inappropriate song, 'Toxic' by Britany Spears began to play and was piped through the loudspeaker for all on Platform One to hear.

The Doctor and Jabe sprinted down the corridor to warn the other guests, but they found their progress impeded by a thick and sickly smelling smoke from a room that appeared to be the Steward's office. As they came closer they found that blinding light was peeking out of every crevice leading into the office. The Doctor pushed through the crowd of short blue attendants to have a look at the information panel on the wall by the door. The Doctor Soniced the panel and the sun filter in the unfortunate room began to rise, indicated by the computer voice.

"Is the Steward in there?!" shrieked Jabe horrified. The Doctor continuing to work his sonic on the data panel declared,  
"You can smell him. Hold on, there's another sun filter programmed to descend." This was horrible; it couldn't be descending without a reason. The sun shields appeared to be going down with very obvious intent. Some other poor soul must be in that room. Faced with this grim possibility the Doctor raced for the unlucky gallery hoping he would not be too late to save a life.

A lovely young woman lay unconscious on the cold-tile like floor. As she started to come around she began to become aware that she was lying down and her back was feeling cold on the cool floor. But it was starting to get warmer. 'Oh, my head. What happened?' thought Rose, she then opened her eyes trying to recognize where she was. 'Back in that little gallery room. How did I get here? Did I fall down the stairs?' she asked herself confused. Rose raised her left hand and gently massaged her sore temple. 'And why am I hearing Britney Spears?' she asked her sore head, even more confused. Suddenly the music was cut off by a loud voice overhead that began to boom, it was almost deafening, and it became brighter in the room. Finally the blond had her wits about her and she realized just what it was that the loud voice was saying,  
"Sun filter descending. Sun filter descending. Sun filter descending." Announced the computerized voice heralding her doom and the temperature spiked. Rose looked to the opening window and knew that she was in trouble. Survival instinct kicking in she found her legs and ran. Rose scrambled as fast as she could for the exit that would lead her to the hallway and hopefully her salvation. But much to her horror, it was shut tight. Frantically she banged trying to get it to open. How sad was it that in the future, technology had advanced to the point that she didn't know how to open a door anymore? Then she remembered being hit by the Meme and for whatever reason they must have trapped her in here. And if the slowly descending window was any indicator then she knew the reason.

"Let me out! Let me out!" Cried Rose to anyone who could hear her. The Doctor had round the corner and finally arrived at his destination. As he worked at the door panel with his sonic he prayed that no one was behind those doors. He shouted over the computer voice indicating that the sun filter was still lowering,  
"Anyone in there?" Rose heard the Doctor's voice and felt a flush of relief but quickly began to panic again as seconds felt like eons to her,  
"Let me out!" Screamed Rose as she pounded on the door as hard as she could. The Doctor's hearts sank into his stomach and he redoubled his efforts.

"Oh, it would be you. If you are trying to set a record for most jeopardy friendly companion, then you have already done it." He had to stay calm and keep an air of indifference. Even if in the back of his head, he was panicked as all hell that he wouldn't be able to save her in time. 'I'm a time lord. I'm the Doctor. I'm brilliant. I can save her, this is no problem.' Was The Doctor's mantra as he frantically worked with his sonic screwdriver.  
"Open the door!" Shouted Rose to the Doctor again in hysterics.

"Hold on. Give us two ticks." Answered the Doctor as he tried to get the sun filter to go back up. Scorching rays of sun light began to burn the top of the door and Rose found herself starting to duck from the heat. At least she wouldn't die too alone and with a witness, the back of her head thought as she crouched down. Just as she was about to lose hope, Rose heard the words from the computer voice that made her breathe a sigh of relief,  
"Sun filter rising. Sun filter rising." But no sooner did it begin to rise then it began to fall again and Rose's panic was renewed.  
"Sun filter descending. Sun filter descending." Said the unfeeling computer voice.  
"Just what we need. The computer's getting clever." Bellowed the Doctor more to himself then to Rose. He then ripped out the door to the guts of the room's controls to attempt a manual override. Rose obviously not pleased with the Doctor's progress, and driven on by urge to survive and not die horribly shouted,  
"Stop mucking about!" The Doctor, honestly trying to do his best and get results in the fastest way possible yelled back a bit indignant,  
"I'm not mucking about. It's fighting back. Sit tight, this is no time for a spat!" Rose and the Doctor shouted back and forth along with the shielding that was rising and falling as he battled it out with the computer. The shielding had fallen so low that it had chard half the door and Rose was forced to seek out lower ground.

"The lock's melted!" Cried Rose as she ran to the lowest step in the room that she could to avoid the sun's unshielded heat for as long as possible. She hunkered down to the floor as far down as she could go. She was terrified as she continued to hear the emotionless voice of the computer loudspeaker trumpeted her doom,  
"Sun filter descending. Sun filter descending." 'Was this it?' Rose asked herself? Was this how it was going to end? Burned up like her planet, how ironic. The human was beginning to see that when death is imminent, and after one gets past the expletives, many things flash through a person's mind. Rose thought of her short life and how she was going to be leaving it with so many regrets. She regretted the pain she would put her mother through and how she would never even know her daughter had died. She'd end up just another mystery on the back of a milk carton to haunt her mother to her grave. She also regretted never having a chance to say goodbye to her friends. But most of all, she regretted never having been granted the time to patch up things with the Doctor. That was a privilege that time seemed to have cheated her out of in exchange for an unspeakable death. How different would things have turned out if she had taken that job at Henrik's years ago instead of her job at the university bookstore? She would never regret having met John, which was the catalyst that had led up to this point. For those brief months of happiness she probably would do it all again. She just hoped that when death finally came, and ended her internal monologue, that it was quick. She regretted leaving the Doctor alone and with so many things unresolved and unsaid on both parts. Her only comfort was John's words, that he was the Doctor, the Doctor was John, and that he loved her. That she would hold onto until oblivion. She took a deep calming breath, probably her last, and closed her eyes. She didn't want to see it coming. All the while the computer could still be heard in its deafening voice,  
"… Descending. Sun filter rising. Sun filter rising". Hearing the change in words, she opened her eyes and confirmed that sun filter was indeed rising! She made a B-line for the door and started pounding on it yet again, begging the Doctor to let her out of the terrifying room. Much to her horror and a bit to her mortification the Doctor replied through the door,  
"The whole thing's jammed. I can't open the doors. Stay there! Don't move!" As if she had a choice.

"Where am I going to go, Ipswich?" She shouted through the door her body pumping with adrenaline from her near death experience. She let out an exasperated groan as she heard him running back down the hall, leaving her to sit in this deadly room while he went off and did who knows what? She sat down on the ground and just hoped for his sake that he was doing something to save the day, everyone onboard and her.  
"Earth Death in five minutes." Announced the computer voice, boy, did Rose ever want to break that thing.  
When the Doctor arrived in the main observation gallery, Jabe had already informed the other guests that the spider-like robots had infiltrated the whole Platform One and that they were very much in danger. Cassandra raised her voice in disbelief and the Moxx had called for to Steward to which Jabe had to sadly inform to the guests that he was dead. After a collective gasp Cassandra accused the Face of Boe of getting them into this trouble which Boe denied with a head shake. The Doctor then took this moment to take over the situation and to explain how things had come to this and who was responsible for their calamity.

"Easy way of finding out. Someone bought their little pet on board. Let's send him back to master." Said the Doctor knowingly. The Doctor then proceeded to place the spider-like machine on the floor set to return to its controller. The spider had scuttled off part of the way to Cassandra before scanning her and she looked as nervous and guilty as a flap of skin could. The Spider then made an about face and walked over to the group of black hooded figures. Cassandra, quick to accuse shouted,  
"The Adherents of the Repeated Meme. J'accuse!" The Doctor did not look convinced and strolled up to the accused and said,  
"That's all very well, and really kind of obvious, but if you stop and think about it…" one of the Meme as he approach took a swing at the Doctor but the Time Lord was too quick and grabbed the creepy things arm before ripping it clear off. The doctor continued,  
"A Repeated Meme is just an idea. And that's all they are, an idea." With a quick pull of wire from the arm he had dislodged the Adherents collapsed to the floor. The Doctor now really on a roll declared,  
"Remote controlled Droids. Nice little cover for the real troublemaker. Go on, Jimbo. Go home." The Doctor then gave the little spider on the floor a gentle nudge with his foot and it dutifully returned to its real master, Cassandra. The Skin looked miffed and unimpressed.  
"I bet you were the school swot and never got kissed. At arms!" Shouted Cassandra as her attendants raised their spray guns in a menacing fashion.  
That brought back memories. Kissed? Oh, he'd been more than just kissed alright and fairly recently too, he smiled to himself as his thoughts unexpectedly gravitated back to Rose. He felt awful for leaving her behind in that room alone, but there was a dangerous situation he had to fix first. Directing his attentions back at the pompous flesh, in a mock voice he then raised his hands to his chest and asked,  
"What are you going to do, moisturize me?" And in a witch-like voice Cassandra spat condescendingly,  
"With acid. Oh, you're too late, anyway. My spiders have control of the mainframe. Oh, you all carried them as gifts, tax free, past every code wall. I'm not just a pretty face." Why was she going through all this trouble? There were less out of the way, dangerous and suicidal ways to kill people. Unless killing herself with them was the plan as some kind of twisted revenge for some perceived past wrong. Or maybe she was just an idiot after all because she didn't seem suicidal just homicidal.  
"Sabotaging a ship while you're still inside it? How stupid's that?" Retorted the Doctor.  
"I'd hoped to manufacture a hostage situation with myself as one of the victims. The compensation would have been enormous." Smiled the skin despite her disappointment for how the situation had deviated from her plans. The Doctor couldn't believe it. Didn't bad people ever change; even in the future? She had killed and was trying to kill people to get cash!  
"Five billion years and it still comes down to money." He said angry but also disappointed. Cassandra seemed unhurt or concerned with his judging statement. She had procedures to pay for.  
"Do you think it's cheap, looking like this? Flatness costs a fortune. I am the last human, Doctor. Me. Not that freaky little kid of yours." The Doctor's anger was growing at Cassandra's insult of Rose and his anger only steadily climbed as he was reminded at what she had tried to do to Rose. Various people in the gallery voiced their outrage and demanded her arrest. But Cassandra was not concern and as the computer voice announced that the Earth would be dead in three minutes, she knew she had to act fast. In triumph she glared at the Doctor and all the guest, she then manically declared,  
"And here it comes. You're just as useful dead, all of you. I have shares in your rival companies and they'll triple in price as soon as you're dead. My spiders are primed and ready to destroy the safety systems. How did that old Earth song go? Burn, baby, burn."  
"Then you'll burn with us." Piped Jabe to the hated enemy.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I know the use of teleportation is strictly forbidden, but I'm such a naughty thing. Spiders, activate. An explosion was heard throughout the Platform that rattled the structure, even Rose, alone in the small gallery felt it and screeched. Cassandra's deed done, she declared to the room,  
"Force fields gone with the planet about to explode. At least it'll be quick. Just like my fifth husband. Oh, shame on me." The computer voice announced that the Safety system was failing and Cassandra bid her ado to the crowd before teleporting away along with her attendants.  
"Heat levels rising." Called out the computer voice and guest shouted to someone to reset the computer and all its safety systems. But it could no longer be done remotely, it would have to be done manually with a system restore switch. The Doctor knew where to find such a switch and ordered Jabe to come with him, he might need an assistant. Then before leaving the room he told the remaining guests,  
"You lot, just chill." Perhaps he was trying to make light of the situation to calm them down a bit but he doubted it would work.  
"Heat rising. Earth Death in two minutes. Earth Death in two minutes. Heat levels critical." Announced the computer, as The Doctor and Jabe reached the engine room. Across the room was the system restore switch and unfortunately some design flaw had placed three large fans in front of it.  
"Oh. And guess where the switch is." Said the Doctor sarcastically, he then pulled a lever on the wall that slowed the fans down and the computer once again announced that critical heat was raising and that it was too hot outside. The doctor released the lever to get to the switch on the other side but the moment he let the lever go, it shot back up and the fans began to spin faster fruitlessly trying to make it cooler in the large room. Jabe pulled down the lever knowing that if she stayed longer it would be very bad for her to say the least.  
"You can't. The heat's going to vent through this place." Jabe acknowledged this but clearly voiced that she didn't care though she looked scared. The Doctor tried to dissuade her,  
"Jabe, you're made of wood." Jabe, clearly uncomfortable, only smiled at him and replied,  
"Then stop wasting time, Time Lord." The Doctor smiled grimly at her and began his race to the other side of the room. He had managed to clear the first fan but the temperature was rising too high for Jabe and her hands began to smoke. The Doctor noticed that the fans had sped up a little and he heard Jabe cry out in pain. She was starting to catch fire and there was nothing the Doctor could do now to save her.

Back in Gallery 15, Rose was a mess of fright, the shields were malfunctioning and she didn't completely understand what was going on, but she knew a cracking window when she saw it. And cracking windows where obviously a bad thing in the space. Rose was paralyzed with fear and unlike before, now that she was truly alone without even someone on the other ride of the door to focus on, her mind was blank and all she could focus on was trying to keep breathing and keep from being fried. Screaming she maneuvered from side to side on the ground and jumping from fear every time a blast of sunlight managed to break through near her.

"Heat levels critical. Heat levels critical." Blared the computer. The Doctor timed his run and managed to pass the second fan, but Jabe had now let go of the lever and the fans were now turning too fast to even see. The Time Lord looked back at Jabe who was being consumed by flames. He turned his head away he could not look any more and focused on the next fan, he could still save the others. But the third was so fast that there was no way anyone, but a Time Lord, could make it through without being diced to bits. The Doctor shut his eyes and using his Time Lord abilities, timed his walk and made it past the fan unharmed. Realizing he was fine, he heard the Computer announced the final countdown to the Earth's death and on 'five', he managed to grip the reset switch, pulled it and shouted at the top of his lungs,  
"Raise shields!" The system reset just in time and was shielding was back up on one. The Earth then was destroyed by the Sun, but no one was looking.  
Back in the smaller gallery Rose had opened her eyes. She had closed then when the sunlight had become too much for her. But now that she had them open she was now watching, with a sigh of relief, as the Exoglass that had been cracking and breaking open, repaired itself. She was safe she told herself as she raggedly breathed in air. She looked out the window but instead of her planet was giant broken up pieces of rock which were all that remained of her home planet. Rose got off her feet and found that the door was repairing itself too. And to her wonder, it easily granted her exit. Somewhat in a daze she made her way to the main gallery and saw the destruction the other guest had suffered, It looked like some of the guest had not made it but she was barely registering anything as it was. She saw the Doctor enter the room with a grimmer than normal look on his face. She didn't know what she was expecting of him but he walked right past her to the two trees that had been with Jabe.

The Doctor relayed the bad news to the other two trees and tried his best to offer comfort to the devastated beings. Jabe had died for him, she had sacrificed herself to save not only him and Rose, but everyone of those uptight fake socialites who had been cowering in the observation gallery. It might not have been passing fancy at all, Jabe had known the risks and she had thought that he was worth it. Either way they had to try to save themselves, but she didn't have to help and most likely she genuinely had cared for him in just the short time they had met. Why did the Doctor never realized how people felt until it was too late? He asked himself this, but the Doctor was still to oblivious to realize that those same thoughts could probably be applied to Rose too.  
"You all right?" Asked Rose, easily sensing the terrible fury coming off her husband. It wasn't something to take lightly and she was glad not to be on the receiving end of it, not that she ever thought that she would be. No more mister nice Time Lord, he would act and he would do so without mercy. He was angry, not only had this trampoline killed Jabe and tried to kill the other guests. She had also specifically singled out Rose and tried to vaporize her using the Sun as a weapon. He would have blood for this. She would not get away with it. The soldier in him took over and he began to rant.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm full of ideas, I'm bristling with them. Idea number one, teleportation through five thousand degrees needs some kind of feed. Idea number two, this feed must be hidden nearby." He then smashed the ostrich egg Cassandra had brought to the gathering to reveal a small device that must be the feed. The Doctor continued,  
"Idea number three, if you're as clever as me, then a teleportation feed can be reversed." And to Rose's amazement Cassandra, by herself, appeared out of thin air. She had been gloating to someone, but now had realized that she was back in the Gallery and it was quite obviously not destroyed by the Earth exploding.  
"The last human." Said the Doctor with disgust. The Skin saw that she was now in a tight spot and began to ramble excuses to literally save her skin.  
"So, you passed my little test. Bravo. This makes you eligible to join, er, the Human Club." She gasped, the Doctor was not happy and shouted,  
"People have died, Cassandra. You murdered them." Cassandra seized her chance at the mention of murder and went into legal mode,  
"It depends on your definition of people, and that's enough of a technicality to keep your lawyers dizzy for centuries. Take me to court, then, Doctor, and watch me smile and cry and flutter…" said the skin in a hoity voice.  
"And creak?" interrupted the Doctor. The skin questioned what he had said and the Doctor more than willingly confirmed for her that she was indeed creaking and drying out.  
"What? Ah! I'm drying out! Oh, sweet heavens. Moisturize me, moisturize me! Where are my surgeons? My lovely boys! It's too hot!" shrieked the skin.  
"You raised the temperature." Said the Doctor, confirming that her current condition couldn't be helped.

"Have pity! Moisturize me! Oh, oh, Doctor. I'm sorry. I'll do anything." Begged Cassandra, but the Time Lord had no pity for this murdering excuse of life. He simply watched with grim satisfaction waiting for the inevitable. Rose came up to the Doctor side and placed her hand on his arm.  
"Help her." Said Rose who still had pity for the 'human'. The Doctor did not oblige, in fact, having Rose there only reminded him of what Cassandra and her goons had tried to do to Rose and would have done if he hadn't succeeded in stopping the disaster. He just coldly replied without turning his head away from Cassandra,  
"Everything has its time and everything dies." Rose was taken aback by the Doctor's coldness and looked on as Cassandra cried out that she was too young to die. A few moments later Cassandra was all dried out and splattered across the room. He then stormed off to help the other guests and attendants prepare to leave the Earth behind them. Rose watched him go and didn't know what to do with herself. Her feet just gravitated toward the large window of the gallery as the guests left the room. She only noticed the Face of Boe give a look of apology, but also a somewhat knowing look, before leaving with the rest. Rose directed her attention back to the molten rocks that where once her home planet. She didn't know how long she stared at it but eventually Rose and the Doctor were the only ones left on the platform. The Doctor came through the great doors behind her and made his presence known to her. Rose in the most humbled and saddened voice said,  
"The end of the Earth. It's gone. We were too busy saving ourselves. No one saw it go. All those years, all that history, and no one was even looking. It's just …" She couldn't finish her sentence. The Doctor then held out his callus hand to Rose and gently said,  
"Come with me." Rose took his hand and allowed herself to be led by him, but she couldn't help but take one last mournful look at the remains of the Earth before leaving the room. The two then walked down the corridor to where the TARDIS waited for them.  
As far as the Doctor was concerned, Rose had passed her test with flying colors, she had even earned unexpected extra credit for facing death twice. He had wanted her to identify with him, as cruel as it probably was, he wanted her to understand his pain. Losing your home; now she could better understand him and what he had been through. He trusted that now she could see how he thought and why and how he acted as he did. He didn't know what emotional turmoil he had originally had in store for her, or even if he had thought this through from every angle, but he had never meant to hurt her. Whatever that definition of hurt was in his head, he had not meant for her to go through all this. He just wanted to give her the tools to comprehend him or at least come closer to it than anyone else at present in the universe. Now all that was left was for her to make her final decision.

The TARDIS had landed off of a busy street in London and Rose opened the door to the TARDIS and hesitantly stepped out. The Doctor followed close behind watching her as she made her way to the crowded street up ahead. Rose couldn't believe it, the Earth it was back. She had seen it destroyed and now she was standing on it and it was bustling with life. People were walking about, making noise and going about their business. It was almost like seeing the Earth's ghost, she was walking among ghosts, and she would never look at the world the same way again. Nothing was certain, nothing was forever and the most solid looking of things would come to an end. The Doctor then piped up as if he could read her thoughts and said,  
"You think it'll last forever, people and cars and concrete, but it won't. One day it's all gone. Even the sky." The Doctor raised his eyes to the sky and so did Rose. He starred at the alien blue color of Earth sky and found himself longing for the sky that was orange. And that's when he finally opened up to her and revealed his most painful truth.

"My planet's gone. It's dead. It burned like the Earth. It's just rocks and dust… before it's time." Rose looked on with surprise. She was amazed that he had actually freely given information about himself when he was so reluctant earlier to do so. She knew that if was painful information, but she had not fathomed such disturbing and utterly sad information. She wanted to hold his head but she was still timid to touch him, especially now that he had opened up to her, and instead in a sympathetic voice she asked,  
"What happened?" she question wanting to know so badly.  
"There was a war and we lost." He said simply.  
"A war with who?" inquired Rose, but the Doctor did not answer. Sensing that that topic might still be too painful, she switched the question after clearing her throat.  
"What about your people?" she asked, her concern growing.  
"I'm a Time Lord. I'm the last of the Time Lords. They're all gone. I'm the only survivor. I'm left travelling on my own 'cos there's no one else." 'That's why he's lonely.' Her heart ached in pain at his sorrow. She wanted to give him comfort, to let him know that he wasn't alone anymore, and she quickly breathed out,  
"There's me." She didn't want him to doubt it. And he wanted to believe it, there was just one more question to go.  
"You've seen how dangerous it is. Do you want to go home?" Rose actually now gave herself a moment to process all the life threatening danger she had just survived on their first trip. She was confused, the rational survival part of her brain now told her to runaway, but the rest, her heart, her soul told 'Do not leave this man, it is all worth it!' So what part of her did she believe? Overwhelmed, her mind raced and she began to ramble on about what she wanted,  
"I don't know. I want." Her confusing emotions and thoughts were then interrupted by the nearby smell of her favorite food on Earth. She took in a deep breath through her nose and declared,  
"Oh, can you smell chips?"  
"Yeah. Yeah." Smirked the Doctor, he knew how much she loved chips, it was their first date after all.  
"I want chips." Announced Rose to the Doctor. The Doctor's manic grin couldn't get any wider and he answered,  
"Me too." Grinned the Doctor. Rose was once again calm and in control of herself. She had a goal to achieve and her man by her side to help. She would stay with him.  
"Right then, before you get me back in that box, chips it is, and you can pay." Smiled Rose with her tongue poking out from between her teeth. The Doctor shrugged his shoulders and simply stated,  
"No money." Rose rolled her eyes, looks like some things don't change, once again she would be the one to spring for chips as they got to know each other. Teasingly, Rose said,  
"What sort of date are you? Come on then, tightwad, chips are, once again, on me. We've only got five billion years till the shops close." The Doctor smiled back at Rose, he guessed that a chips run would indeed be their 'second first date' too. The universe's oddest couple then walked down the street, hand and hand, to go out for chips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note:  
> Wow, that's two episodes down from the original series. Are you ready for the Unquiet dead? Amazing how Rose's path, even though she decided to work at a bookstore instead of a clothing store, she still ended up crossing the Doctor's, heh. And having to analyze these episodes when I re-watch them really helps me get into the characters' head, but it also slows down production, but I think it makes for better chapters. Don't you?


	17. Chapter 17 -  Unquiet Dead

Complicated  
by The Plot Thinens  
The Unquiet Dead - Chapter 17  
Intermission  
Rose's eyes fluttered open. She had been woken up from sleep by yet again the soft artificial daylight that the TARDIS used as Rose's alarm clock. She wanted to roll back over and go back to her pleasant dreams. However, any attempt was stopped by the TARDIS's gentle nudges in the back of her mind. It was almost like that feeling of your mother softly waking you up for school and Rose was no match for it. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and sat up. Through half lidded eyes she looked to the other side of the bed, it was empty. And it had remained so for yet another night. Traditionally that had been John's designated side of any bed they had slept in for the last few months. Though not anymore. She was hopeful that one day it might be the place her husband, the Doctor would sleep again. But then she reminded herself that he didn't sleep like a human and it would be unfair to make him sit bored in that bed just to humor her human biological need for sleep anyway. Though if he'd just let things happen she could do her best to make sure he wasn't bored in it for a little while each night. Sleeping alone from now on she knew would get easier as she got used to it again, after all she spent most of her life sleeping alone. Who wouldn't like having a bed this big all to themselves? It just meant more room to stretch out without bumping into someone else. And she wished she could do a better job fooling herself faster of that. Sighing she went about her morning routine and grumbled out the door to the kitchen in mild frustration. However any negative thoughts she might have been harboring instantly faded away the moment she spotted the Doctor in the kitchen.

The Doctor, ever the morning person, because he never really actually slept, was of course up and shuffling about in the kitchen. He was quite clearly excited about the day and his excitement was cute and infectious. His energy levels had not changed when he had been John at all she had noticed, in fact she had always wondered how a man twenty years her senior had so much energy. Sometimes he had more energy than she did and part of her had always wished that she had been old enough to catch him when he was younger just to see if he had been even more energetic as a young man. Rose's train of thought was derailed by a mug being thrust into her hands. 'It was tea. He made a cup of tea for me. That was bordering on domestic.' Thought Rose astonished. It was probably about as domestic as he got though, unlike John, he didn't seem the type to bring you breakfast in bed, but still it was an appreciated gesture of friendship at the very least.  
"Come on, come on. It's an extra strong batch, got ta get those stimulants pumping through those veins of yours. We got an early day ahead of us and we need that human brain of yours wide awake." Declared the Doctor as he buttered some toast at the counter. Okay so he had a motive, but still it was a relatively nice gesture. Or more likely the Doctor was just getting bored of waiting for his companion, whose species slept a third of the day, to get up and moving so that they could get onto the next adventure.

In truth the Doctor was trying, in his own way, to be nicer to her, he knew the tea was a token gesture at best. The biggest obstacle that he faced was his inability to stop going back to his comfort zone by distancing Rose with backhanded comments to accompany any action that could be seen as domestic. He had honestly had a good time eating chips with the love of his former human life. 'Even if it was a very domestic thing to do.' Countered the Doctor in his head. There he went again, even making backhanded comments to thoughts in his very big head. The Chippy was frankly the best one the Doctor had ever been in, and he said so to the waitress, there was a wide variety of chips to be had with various toppings and of course fresh battered cod for a shot of protein to go with the meal. If one dare called it a date, it was an excellent place to go for a second first date. It had been a great time with only one hitch, when they were leaving the chippy's manager had smiled and asked The Doctor and his lovely daughter to please come back again. The Doctor had been flustered by the comment, but Rose, who obviously had for some time been accustomed to this sort of mistake, very proudly flashed her wedding ring, ringed her arm around the Doctor's, and told him that she and her husband would love to come back again if they were in the neighborhood. Her attitude and unquestionable pride in telling all that an ugly old git like him was her mate had made the Doctor feel something, he wasn't sure what yet but it was definitely a good feeling. He thought for sure that she probably was going to shy away and hurry them out the door in embarrassment, but she wanted all to know that this was the man she had chosen, and nothing to be ashamed of. So even though he wasn't ready to do the same yet, in spite of himself, when he knew Rose wasn't looking, he smiled his manic grin in triumph to the manager who still was looking on in disbelief. Well that had actually turned out to be an alright memory for the ego of a 900 and some odd years old Time Lord anyway, but enough memory lane. They had a fully functional time machine and the Doctor wanted to show Rose that the TARDIS could go back in time and not just to the future or her present.

Back to the Story  
The TARDIS jumped and jerked about in the vortex in what could only be described as time turbulence. Inside the TARDIS two individuals, who were technically-still-married, clung to the TARDIS console. In between violent shakes the Doctor would yelp instructions to Rose to help assist in flying the TARDIS. This was so new to her and she had no idea what did what or why the Doctor wanted her to pull, push, or press whatever control was on the console. She just did it without question and prayed that she did it right and that it worked.

"Hold that one down!" Called out the Doctor, pointing to the unnamed control. Rose a bit annoyed at being asked to do so many tasks at once, especially when so many of the controls were spaced so far apart, barked back,  
"I'm holding this one down." How could she hold the other one down too?  
"Well, hold them both down." Rose was very miffed by her husband's complicated demands but still was excited by the whole process.  
"It's not going to work." Bellowed Rose in frustration as she tried to stretch herself across the console to the switch the Doctor wanted her to pull. With some impressive maneuvering Rose managed to pull off the Doctor's task and he poked his head around the time rotor to look her in the eye. Affronted by her discouraging remark he retorted in mock seriousness,  
"Oi! I promised you a time machine and that's what you're getting. Now, you've seen the future, let's have a look at the past. 1860. How does 1860 sound?" The Doctor bounced around the console some more working his magic and his energy was catching. Rose couldn't help but smile. She was confused though as to why he was so set on that particular date. Her curiosity peeked and even though she was very occupied with navigation controls from her crouched position over the console, she had to ask,  
"What happened in 1860?" She was very curious as to that dates' significance to him, which is what made it all the more adventurous and exciting when he answered,  
"I don't know, let's find out. Hold on, here we go!" The TARDIS spun, shook and the two time travelers were on their way to 1860.  
The TARDIS materialized at the end of an old snowy cobble stone street. The perception filter made it completely unnoticeable to the surrounding population. Inside the TARDIS, its two inhabitants were lying in a heap on the floor. It was a rough landing to say the least but it seemed that despite the fact that they were on opposite sides of the TARDIS, The Doctor had somehow managed to cushion Rose's landing and she found herself resting on top of him. The two were laughing hysterically at their 'successful and difficult landing' that was until they realized their positions. They began to blush as Rose tried to push herself off the Doctor, but this didn't do much to help the color of their faces go back to normal, as now Rose was straddling his stomach. They locked eyes and the Doctor was the first to alleviate the situation, if he didn't make the first move to stop this complicated form of contact he might do something he wasn't ready for. He partly lifted her up by her hips and managed to roll out from under her. Before Rose could even register the fact that he had had both is hands on her hips, The Doctor was helping her up.

"Blimey!" declared Rose as she took the Doctor's hand and got off the floor with a bounce. The two appeared to have unanimously and silently agreed to pretend that that didn't happen, and just kept on joking. The Doctor ran over to the monitor on the console and began to study it.  
"You're telling me. Are you all right?" Asked the Doctor.  
"Yeah. I think so. Nothing broken. Did we make it? Where are we?" Stated Rose as she bounced over to his side. The Doctor quite proud of himself crossed his arms, stood up tall and giggled,  
"I did it. Give the man a medal. Earth, Naples, December 24th, 1860."  
"That's so weird. It's Christmas." Said Rose in shock. It was so amazing. He could have Christmas everyday if he wanted, this incredible man who, by the way through a series of unusual events was now her somewhat reluctant spouse.  
"All yours." Declared the Doctor with pride as he stretched out his arm to the door. Rose lowered her head in disbelief. He was offering time and space as if it was a trip to the convenience store. No words could describe her emotions or thoughts, but she had to give it a try at least.  
"But, it's like, think about it, though. Christmas. 1860. Happens once, just once and it's gone, it's finished, it'll never happen again. Except for you. You can go back and see days that are dead and gone a hundred thousand sunsets ago. No wonder you never stay still." Smiled Rose with her tongue poking a bit out of the side of her mouth and through her teeth.  
"Not a bad life." Stated the Doctor as a fact. Rose smiled up into his eyes with admiration. Sure he was a bit of a git from time to time, but he really was a fantastic being. Adventures like this she could easily get used to. But no matter how wonderful, by yourself, she could see it being a lonely life. Maybe that was what Jack was talking about earlier. He needed someone to keep him company and she would be the one to do it, so she had no trouble saying with all her single heart,  
"Better with two. Come on, then." She was excited to get this adventure rolling and all but skipped to the door. Her giggling was interrupted however by the Doctor's loud but unthreatening voice,  
"Hey, where do you think you're going?" Rose thinking that he was in a teasing mood, swung around and grinning she said still almost unable to believe her own words,  
"1860." The Doctor was more than amused by response and her enthusiasm but her 21st century mind was taking her form of dress for granted. No matter how low a profile or how easy it was for them to blend in with the normal Time Lord-ish looking population, that outfit would never go unnoticed.  
"Go out there dressed like that, you'll start a riot, Barbarella. There's a wardrobe through there. First left, second right, third on the left, go straight ahead, under the stairs, past the bins, fifth door on your left. Hurry up!" Rose looked a bit confused by the elaborate instructions but ran off to follow them anyway, hoping her memory would not fail her.  
Rose managed to find the before mentioned wardrobe and WOW was it amazing. She didn't know how she would find anything in such a huge room, more like atrium. It would almost put Narnia to shame. Fortunately, she was amazed by not only how big it was but how organized. The TARDIS made it so easy to find the appropriate clothing for the time and place that a child could have done it.  
Rose found a lovely black dress and scarf to put around her neck. She guessed that the TARDIS didn't want her catching cold since the dress left most of the top of her chest bare to the elements. Was this really period appropriate? Perhaps the TARDIS was taking some liberties, when she thought of Victorian Era England, she always pictured prim and proper ladies with every inch of skin covered up from public eye and even private. But she liked the dress and trusted the Time Traveling ship to get it right. The heeled shoes were even perfectly sized and comfortable. The Blond looked into one of the many full bodied mirrors and did her hair up in the manner she felt was period appropriate from the supplies the TARDIS provided her to use from the large vanity. Her mother was a hair dresser after all and she had picked up a few things about styling hair over the years. However, she couldn't help but feel that something was giving her hints on just how her hair should be done up in her mind.  
In the back of her head she hoped that the Doctor would like it. She knew John's tastes pretty well, but the Doctor's was completely unknown. What did Time Lord's like to see women wear anyway? Well she decided not to dwell on it. She liked how she looked and if the Doctor didn't, well, he'd have to just get use it. Besides how could one not look good in 1800s period clothing? It was so proper to begin with. Though she'd be lying if she wasn't a little nervous at what a reception she would receive from the Doctor and the people of 1860. She took a deep breath and started to walk back to the console room.

The Doctor busily tinkered about under the console, fixing this and calibrating that as he waited for Rose to immerge. He worked about with his sonic screwdriver checking for any problems attributed to the rough landing. 'How long did it take Earth female's to dress?' he wondered. He wasn't impatient, he just wondered if Rose found the wardrobe alright. And if she did, was she finding what she needed to get dressed okay? 'Maybe I should have gone to help her dress.' The Doctor found himself blushing at the thought of Rose dressing or rather undressing. He didn't know why. She was just a human. He'd seen tons of humans naked before, he'd seen them before they had even invented clothing. He'd even seen Rose naked before, well John had. The Doctor somewhat unwillingly accessed that part of his memories as John and thought back to the many times he had seen her in all states of dress and undress. He cracked a small smile, but then remembered himself and with a start he accidently dropped his sonic hard on the metal grating. He hissed with worry and picked it up and with an appraising look he gave it a once over. It flickered a few times but got right back to working good as new, and he continued to tinker. It was at that moment that Rose made her appearance.  
The Doctor's attentions were pulled away from the console by the swoosh of a dress and the heeled shoe of a very feminine leg. He raised his head up higher and was taken aback by the vision of loveliness before him.  
"Blimey!" said the Doctor looking up in awe of his technically-still-his-wife. Rose took his shock as teasing amusement and smirked at him half seriously,  
"Don't laugh."  
"You look beautiful." He mouthed out with an adoring look on his face and never speaking truer words. And this lovely creature was his wife, he thought. But then he realized what he had said aloud and needed to recover somehow. He couldn't let on any emotion; it might imply things about their relationship to Rose. Things that he either was not ready for or never would be and it would be cruel to get her hopes up. So he turned his head and with a look and voice that screamed indifference he said,  
"Considering." He then went back to working on the TARDIS. Rose looked confused by his sudden unusual comment, he had been paying her a compliment, right? She then wondered what condition despite its presence still allowed her to be 'beautiful, considering in his eyes'.  
"Considering what?" she asked.  
"That you're human." Answered the Doctor ever indifferent.  
"I think that's a compliment." Definitely a backhanded compliment. She'd be kidding herself if she didn't think that hurt. Did he really not find humans attractive to look at? If that was the case then she had yet another disadvantage to deal with. But he looked so much like a human himself, unless it was some tiny difference that even she couldn't see without superior biology or Time Lord females didn't look human. She would try not to take it too much to heart, they were beginning their relationship again. If she would make him love her again, then it would happen, in spite of their 'mixed species marriage'. For now it was enough that he could admit that she was, in some form, beautiful to him. She just hoped that he wasn't assigning her the same kind of beauty you might admire and see in a cheetah seen on safari.  
"Aren't you going to change?" she asked the Doctor, trying to move on the conversation. She also would have really liked to see the Doctor dressed as a 1860s gentleman would. 'He'd look quite dashing in a top hat and high collar,' she thought. Or at least that's what she thought men wore in 1860. Much to her disappointment he replied,  
"I've changed my jumper. Come on." Rose felted cheated but stopped the Doctor and grinned at him as he tried to walk ahead of her. She lifted up her skirt slightly above her ankles with one hand, to ease the process of running, and raced over to the TARDIS door. She wanted to be the first one out the door to a time long gone, now that she fully understood how this process worked.  
"You stay there. You've done this before. This is mine." The TARDIS Door opened and Rose took a hesitant look outside the door. It was snowing! With all the wonder of a child she slowly pressed her foot into the crunching snow. It was real, she was in Naples in 1860 on Christmas Eve! 'Did it snow in Naples? Well obviously it did.' Pondered Rose to herself. Rose took a few steps out of the TARDIS still reveling in the crunching snow when the Doctor stepped outside to join her. He locked the TARDIS door. He was beaming from Rose's infectious enthusiasm and offered his arm to his lovely technically-still-his-wife. Rose eagerly took his arm and was in euphoria from the sensation of being so close to him again and by the fact that he had again initiated the touch.  
"Ready for this? Here we go. History." Smiled the Doctor in comradery and the two time-traveling explorers were off down the street.

At a glance they would seem to be just a regular couple making merry on the streets on Christmas Eve. 'But what would people say if they knew the truth?' smiled Rose to herself as she enjoyed the novelty of everything. People were milling about doing their normal business, probably somewhat boring to them, despite the holiday bustling. To Rose everything was new even though it was old. It was like having a back lot pass to some Christmas Carol movie production. Rose's outfit was surprisingly warmer than she thought it would be against the cold but her chest was still a little exposed to the elements.

Every time a cold wind would blow she would hide her face and chest against the Doctors arm and to the best of her knowledge he wasn't protesting. Rose thought that he was just being polite, The Doctor had done everything to convince her of his indifference and having been reinforced she couldn't have possibly thought that he was enjoying the contact. It was also probably appropriate for her to be on his arm in this time period. Not that she minded, she'd gladly show off her handsome Time Lord husband off as arm candy to any 1860s woman. Little did Rose know that the Doctor was enjoying every minute of it, he was walking down this 1860s street with easily the loveliest and most likely healthiest-looking woman around. Not only that but her curiosity and wonder, that often was jaded to him, would be renewed by simply watching her. She was adorable but not in a childish way. The Doctor secretly was wishing for more gusts of wind so that he could hear her cute squeaks and enjoy the feeling of her pressing up against his arm for protection from the cold. He would be willing to protect her from a lot more than just wind if he had to. Fortunately, with her safely locked to his arm he was in the perfect position to assure her safety.  
While Rose's attentions were fixed on a choir of Christmas carolers across the street or passing elegant horse drawn carriages, The Doctor would steal glances at her and smile. Maybe his human self wasn't so batty after all, he really did enjoy being with her, though he wouldn't admit it to anyone. The two then continued on past a theater unaware that behind them, carting up the street and in complete contrast to the warm holiday cheer was a hearse pulled by two black stallions. Little did the Doctor and Rose know that its two occupants before this night was over, these two undertakers would be very much involved in their Christmas Eve adventure.

The Doctor even as he had stepped out of the TARDIS could taste that something was off about their destination. Though to be honest, he was a bit distracted by the pleasant company. Rose's outfit looked amazing on her and really accented her proportions, especially the bodice. Though completely above that sort of thing, or so he had convinced himself, the Doctor had to admit that her physical proportions were very pleasing to the eye from his angle looking down on her. The Doctor then reminded himself that he should be focused on leading Rose down the street and not on Rose herself. Well many be he could divide the time up a little.

Now that they had strolled a bit around and were looking for activities, the Time Lord thought it would be best to check in on things and make sure they were in the right time and place. An old man on the corner, across from the theater they had just been in front of, was loudly calling out about the latest news. A newspaper. That would be the best way to confirm the date and see if anything interesting was to be done around town. He could catch in a show with his lovely 'date' or get out of the cold and into a warm locally recommended restaurant. It would be nice to treat Rose to the finest food that 1860 had to offer that was fit for a Time Lord and his wife...er… companion. 'Careless slip ups, I must be getting old' he thought to himself. The Doctor fished into his very deep pockets for a few moments and managed to pull out the needed sum to buy the periodical. Thank goodness he always had some money handy that he picked up now and again. Though not always for the time period he needed or even planet, but in this case he was lucky, Rose couldn't bail him out this time. Rose followed merrily alongside the Doctor as he brought the paper to his face. He looked to the top of the paper and much to his annoyance he realized that he had gotten quite a few things mucked up about their destination. Would he ever be able to impress this human the way he wanted to with no snags along the way?  
"I got the flight a bit wrong." Groaned the Doctor, but Rose still high on cloud nine, replied,  
"I don't care." To emphasize the mistake the Doctor retorted,  
"It's not 1860, it's 1869." Again Rose was unconcerned; it didn't matter to her if they were nine years off.  
"I don't care." She sang. They could be 1869 or 1896 and the novelty of time travel would still be there, besides all she cared about was the company she was keeping.  
"And it's not Naples. It's Cardiff." Rose stopped dead in her tracks, being in England's American equivalent of New Jersey was a bit of a disappointment from thinking you were in Italy, that would explain the snow though. She shook it off and ran after the Doctor who had gotten a few steps in front of her as he read over the news. 'Cardiff could still be fun and possibly romantic, yeah?' thought Rose to herself. She wanted to ask what their next move was to be now that they knew that they were in Cardiff. But that was when the Doctor and Rose heard screams from inside the local theater and the Doctor became as happy as a kid on Christmas morning. Time for the adventure to start!  
"That's more like it!" he shouted and ran for the entrance to the theater, all the while smiling like a maniac.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Notes: If there are any New Jersey folk among my readers, I send my dearest apologizes, but it was the only analogy I could think of in describing Cardiff to Americans if they aren't familiar with the geography and stigma. Again sorry, New Jersey really is a nice place with Talking Huskies and everything.


	18. Chapter 18 - Let's go a'body snatchin'

Complicated  
by The Plot Thinens  
Let's go a'body snatchin'- Chapter 18

Getting into the theater was easier said than done for the two time-travelers. People were running higgledy-piggledy all about in formal dresses and high hats pushing toward every exit while The Doctor and Rose were trying to head toward the stage. However, already inside and ahead of them, were the two undertakers who had curiously stopped in front of the theater earlier. Oddly enough they were looking for a runaway stiff who had escaped from their care. Alerted by the screams they had dashed in hoping to minimize the attention that a walking corpse could bring on them and their establishment. The one leading the assault was a small uptight-looking elderly man, dressed all in black with a top hat on his head and bushy grey mutton chops on his face. His companion, who was following reluctantly close behind, was a nervous, frail-looking thing of a young woman who from her countenance probably felt like she was committing a great blasphemy by engaging in their mission at all.  
At first the two undertakers had been held back from their 'charge', but now that the crowd had thinned out they could easily spot their target, the dead woman's corpse that got away from them. With as much speed as they could move through the narrow aisles of the theater they began to close in like grim reapers to collect her. They had to hurry before the police arrived.

Finally the Doctor managed to get inside along with Rose only to see a blue vaporous entity screaming about flying over their heads. It was loud, it was see-through, and it was scaring the 1860s denizens out of their minds. The time travelers had arrived too late to see that the creature appeared to have come out of a deathly pale looking woman, dressed all in black, who was standing screaming in the emptying seats. They did notice that whatever it was seemed to have an interest in her though. A well dressed bearded man on stage however had seen the whole thing and logically was trying unsuccessfully to return order to the room, insisting that it was a trick and merely a lantern show.  
"Fantastic." Smiled the Doctor at the sight of the blue entity. And ran over to question the man on stage. It was then that the old woman stopped screaming along with the blue being, and closed her eyes shut before quietly returning back to her natural state of death and slumped down over the seats.  
"Did you see where it came from?" asked the Doctor looking up at the man as the blue being screamed about the ceiling. The bearded man was not amused and assumed that this oddly dressed man was to blame for this amazing but business strangling prank and hissed,  
"Ah, the wag reveals himself, does he? I trust you're satisfied, sir!" The nervous woman and the older man had now reached the dead woman and were beginning to as discreetly as possible carry the dead woman away. The collapsing woman had not gone unnoticed to Rose, who saw the two strangers pick her up and steal her away.  
"Oi! Leave her alone! Doctor, I'll get them." She shouted at the two strangers and then to the Doctor, before racing after them. Having seen that they had been noticed by the blond woman and dark haired man couple the two undertakers doubled their efforts to carry the corpse out of the theater. Rose couldn't believe the boldness of these two kidnapping strangers. 'Who were they and why were they manhandling her so roughly out of the theater after such a traumatic event?' asked Rose to herself. She would find out. The Doctor mildly concerned for his companion with a tendency to wander off and get into trouble shouted over the noise,  
"Be careful!" The Doctor was fairly sure that Rose would be okay, she wasn't dumb after all, but best to remind her. Getting on to the task at hand he then jumped onto the stage and continued his interrogation of the bearded man.  
"Did it say anything? Can it speak? I'm the Doctor, by the way." The man looked at the Doctor in disbelief that the oddly dressed stranger could possibly be a physician and retorted,  
"Doctor? You look more like a navvie."  
"What's wrong with this jumper?" Asked the Doctor incredulously, what was wrong with his taste in clothing? First Rose and now this guy, he decided not to dwell on it and get all the information he could from the stunned man.  
Outside the theater Rose had managed to catch up with the two suspicious looking people loading the poor woman into the back of a hearse. They were either the most efficient, work hungry and pessimistic funeral attendants she had ever seen or they were up to no good. She ran to get to the old woman but was stopped by the nervous looking dark haired girl.

"What're you doing?!" barked Rose to the mousy girl. The young girl looked even more nervous and did her best to sound authoritative in her little voice in hopes of getting the suspicious woman to leave them alone to their grim task.  
"Oh, it's a tragedy, miss. Don't worry yourself. Me and the master will deal with it. The fact is, this poor lady's been taken with the brain fever and we have to get her to the infirmary." The girl quickly squeaked out in one breath. 'That's a lot of bull and I'm not buying it!' thought Rose, she wasn't going to let them kidnap this helpless woman and, with righteous fury, she pushed past the flustered young woman to the elderly woman lying inside the cart. Rose placed her hands on the apparently unconscious woman's head only to realize that it was like touching ice. She would have had to have been dead for hours, at the least, to be this cold to the touch!  
"She's cold. She's dead! Oh, my God, what'd you do to her?" questioned a horrified Rose. The girl really looked cornered now but before she could say another word the elderly man snuck up behind Rose and violently clamped an old rag over her mouth and nose. Rose tried to struggle against the attack but the man just help her closer to him and eventually Rose's strength gave out as the fumes from the chloroform forced her into unconsciousness.  
"What did you do that for, Master Sneed?" Asked the girl, who had watched her master's deed in stunned horror. This was steadily escalating into something much more troublesome and possibly illegal now, besides just sinful. The old man steadied his somewhat too intimate hold on Rose's upper body and glared at his assistant with a icy look.

"She's seen too much, Gwyneth. Get her in the hearse. Legs." Ordered Sneed. The two then loaded Rose into the hearse next to the dead woman. Sneed just hoped that that man she had appeared to have been with didn't come looking for her too soon.  
Inside the theater the spectacle had not yet ended. The blue thing still shot about over the Doctor's head, suddenly the thing disappeared into a gaslight fixture on the side of the balcony seats. That was when the Doctor made the connection.  
"Gas! It's made of gas." Smiled the Doctor with a manic grin, he raced outside the theater to tell Rose the news and his now very brilliant plan of what to do next. He stepped outside onto the street and called out for Rose, where was she? That was when he spotted Rose's familiar blonde hair poking out of the back of the hearse across the street. To his horror he then saw the same woman from before close the body door of the hearse.

 

"Rose!" Shouted the Doctor as he watched the hearse then speed down the street and away with his unconscious technically-still-his-wife. 'What did they want with Rose?' thought the Doctor was he watched the deathly cart disappear into the distance. He was debating the best way to save her but was removed from his thoughts by the bearded man from earlier.  
"You're not escaping me, sir. What do you know about that hobgoblin, hmm? Projection on glass, I suppose. Who put you up to it?" Demanded the well dressed man, the Doctor had no time for bystander questions and brushed him off before hailing for the closest parked carriage he assumed was for hire.  
"Oi, you! Follow that hearse!" He shouted to the carriage driver. Much to the Doctor dismay and annoyance the driver responded,  
"I can't do that, sir." The Doctor now growing more desperate to get to Rose before she got herself into anymore trouble asked,  
"Why not?" The bearded man had now lost his patience with the elusive oddly dressed man and taking a step into the back of the carriage shouted at the Doctor,  
"I'll tell you why not. I'll give you a very good reason why not. Because this is my coach." 'Was that all?' thought the Doctor, if he had to bring this man along with him to rescue Rose then why not? The more the merrier, right? The Doctor grabbed the bearded man by his arm and pulled him into the plush seat next to him.  
"Well, get in, then. Move!" Shouted the Doctor to the bearded man and then to the driver to get the carriage moving. As if by reflex at the sound of those words the driver gave the horses a flick of his whip and the horses were off like a shot. The Doctor was sitting at the end of the seat and shouted up to the driver impatiently,  
"Come on, you're losing them." The Doctor had not a second to lose who knew what those people were capable of. The driver did not slow down but he leaned over and asked the carriage owner,  
"Everything in order, Mister Dickens?" Mister Dickens began to tell the driver that things were not in order but as soon as the driver had said Dickens, the Doctor's eyes went wide with fanboy recognition, he only need confirmation and asked,  
"What did he say?" 'Who did this man think he was?' asked Dickens of himself. 'This man just comes in like he owns the entire night and no rules apply to him. Seems to be involved somehow in this occurrence that wrecked my performance and now he has commandeered my carriage for who knows what reason. And we are off into the night.' Mused Dickens with fading tolerance for the Doctor's antics. It least he wasn't bored at the very least, he was being saved from a mundane evening alone on Christmas Eve, but he was being inconvenienced. Mister Dickens summoned up any goodwill he had left to spare for this odd man and declared,  
"Let me say this first. I'm not without a sense of humor." But he was interrupted by the Doctor asking for confirmation if he was, in fact, sitting in a carriage with one of the greatest writers of all time, Charles Dickens. Charles Dickens replied the affirmative in hopes that it would finally calm the man but it did just the opposite. The Doctor began to sing his praise for all his literary gold and the driver inquired if the leather clad man needed to be removed from the carriage.  
"You're brilliant, you are. Completely one hundred percent brilliant. I've read them all. Great Expectations, Oliver Twist and what's the other one, the one with the ghost?"  
"A Christmas Carol?" asked Dickens, rolling his eyes, he was sure that that was what everyone always knew him best for and nothing else.  
"No, no, no, the one with the trains. The Signal Man, that's it. Terrifying! The best short story ever written. You're a genius." Again the driver asked Dickens if he should get rid of the stranger. Charles's ego now thoroughly stroked by the Doctor answered the driver,  
"Er, no, I think he can stay." The Doctor and Dickens bantered back and forth about Charles's books. Mister Dickens was at first confused by the Doctor's term of being his biggest fan, but after a quick explanation, he understood its meaning. The Doctor also entreated if he might call Mister Dickens, Charles and much to the Time Lord's delight he was told that he could. The time traveler discussed what he loved about Dickens stories and what he didn't, Charles seemed a bit miffed at the criticism though, but the Doctor seemed to give off an air that spoke that only a person who truly loved his works could also see the fault in too and forgave him for his comments.  
"Ah, well, if you can't take criticism. Go on, do the death of Little Nell, it cracks me up. No, sorry, forget about that." Declared the Doctor. Now remembering his situation and the fact that Rose was still not safely back at his side he jumped up in the carriage and shouted the driver,  
"Come on, faster!" And the driver urged the horses to be quicker.  
"Who exactly is in that hearse?"  
"My wife." 'Damn it, slipped out so fast, why had that come out?' The Doctor asked himself. Had he just been taken off guard and recited, out of habit, what he had been use to saying for about four month now as a rubbish human? ' but now he had to roll with it. It would look too weird for this prudish lot in this day and age to claim a woman is your wife and then take that statement back a moment later. One might wonder if Rose was his 'wife for a night' or 'lady of the evening' and he currently didn't have records to prove otherwise. As great as he was a writer, Dickens might think it beneath him or too much trouble to risk attracting scandalous attention if he were found out helping some stranger chase after his preferred harlot in the dead of night from body snatchers. He couldn't risk stretching Charles's kindness any further or falling out of favor and being ejected from The Doctor's only means to not lose Rose. Plus he probably could do with some back up, again the more the merrier.  
"She's only twenty, she knows nothing of the universe yet. It's my fault that she's even in this situation. She's in my care, and now she's in danger." Bellowed the Doctor to his fellow passenger. 'Well at least he seemed more level headed than most would be it such a situation or this eccentric behavior might be explained away as a form of shock at his wife being in peril,' thought Charles before declaring in a booming voice,  
"Well of course she would be in your care, she's your wife, but why are we wasting my time talking about dry old books? This is much more important. Driver, be swift! The chase is on!" The driver yelled the affirmative and the horses ran faster still. Charles Dickens might have an interesting Christmas after all. It was currently the most exciting thing he had done in ages felt years younger already, he'd already seen two things he couldn't explain. Who knew what else the night would bring him?  
"Attaboy, Charlie." Smiled the Doctor at his idol. He was totally Earth fanboying out now that he was on first name terms with one of Earth's most famous writers. Maybe he could get his pal Charlie to sign his book collection too! The Doctor was excited but if he wasn't so star struck he might have noticed that the more scared her was getting for Rose the more manic he was acting to distract himself from those emotions. So much so that he had really begun to push his luck by trying to call Charles Dickens by a nickname term of endearment. Mister Dickens was not as accustomed to being this informal with a stranger he just met, even if that stranger was motivated in the name of a good cause. Perhaps if he could have been liquored up before hand he might have just laughed it off, gone with the flow but at the moment this was not the case.

"Nobody calls me Charlie." Scoffed Charles. The Doctor just smiled then retorted,  
"The ladies do." Dickens looked scandalized by that bit of sensitive information and inquired as to how he knew that.  
"I told you, I'm your number one…" grinned the Doctor, but his sentence was interrupted by Dickens who rolled his eyes and said,  
"Number one fan."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's notes: Next chapter's title: Bad Gas


	19. Chapter 19 - Bad Gas

Complicated  
by the Plot Thinens  
Bad Gas –chapter 19

 

Gwyneth and Sneed had a problem on their hand, well actually they had several problems, but the newest was now deadweight and sawing lumber in their arms. They had in their attempt to cover up their walking dead conspiracy, been forced to kidnap some curious woman of fashion off the street. Judging by the clothing she wore, she was obviously a high born woman of the upper-class, not some member of the unwashed masses, so regrettably she most likely would be missed. They also knew that they had been spotted taking her away, and with their luck, it was most likely her chaperone who had noticed their misdeed. He was probably looking for this sleeping beauty right now, which only encouraged the two kidnappers to move her out of sight faster.

Sneed was distracted by his stream of circling thoughts and accidently bumped the woman's head against the door frame leading into the back of the funeral parlor.  
"Careful, Master Sneed!" remarked Gwyneth with concern. Sneed grumbled something about it being an accident and reshuffled his grip on the blond. He'd spend so much time carrying unfeeling and more accommodating corpses that he had to remind himself to be a bit more careful with this one since, by no fault of her own, she was still alive. 'Alive! What am I to do with a woman that's still alive?!' he asked himself, a perverted part of his head made a joke at his own expense, but the fact was that he was in enough trouble without dirty thoughts in his head.

 

"The poor girl's still alive, sir! What're we going to do with her?" asked Gwyneth in horror of their criminal act that she had been forced to take part in. The two undertakers carried Rose into the main chapel and laid her down on a cleared table normally used for placing coffins on for viewings. Rose dressed all in black and in a drugged sleep seemed to fit right in with the rooms two departed occupants. The elderly woman who had been the source of all this trouble was now lying peaceful in her coffin as if her night about town never happened. The guilty duo must have removed her from the hearse before taking the sleeping Rose into the house. On the opposite side of the room was another coffin but in it was a man who clearly was dead before his time. With such a stunning resemblance to the woman, even in death, one might assume that the two were related in life. This was yet another trouble for Sneed to deal with as that young man had been the dead woman's first victim. What a horrible thing to be strangled to death by your own mother that you thought was dead. 'And she was dead right?' asked Sneed to himself. All of these unanswerable questions about something that should be so obvious and easy to determine was playing at the man's mind. 'The dead are dead, they aren't supposed to move! One shouldn't have to guess if they are really dead. It's dead or not dead, no in between!' circled about in his brain faster than lightning. In frustration by his own ignorance and complete lack of control of the situation he shouted at Gwyneth,  
"I don't know! I didn't plan any of this, did I? It isn't my fault if the dead won't stay dead."  
"Then whose fault is it, sir? Why is this happening to us?" Implored the mousy girl as she followed her master out of the room. Her nerves were shot after living this way for so long and there was no end in sight. Little did they notice the gas lamps in the room with the corpses were flaring funny and whispering in inhuman voices.

 

Sneed was now completely undone and rambling desperate ideas to his maid, shooting off crazy ideas and even a suggestion of an exorcism, a cheap one. This line of thinking only came to an end at the sound of the front door knocking. A knock on their door late at night was no unusual thing, it was a funeral parlor, but Sneed wanted to take no chances that he had been followed. Before cowering away to the back of the house he hissed orders to Gwyneth to answer the door but to inform anyone at that door that they were closed for the night and not accepting business at the moment. The maid was close to caving under the pressure she was under already and didn't know how she would manage this task without giving herself away. But she feared expulsion more than anything else and for the sake of her continued employment, she straightened up, put on a fake smile and went to answer the door. But upon reaching the door, Gwyneth was ready to give the performance of a lifetime, but little did she know that the lovely lady, still alive, lying among the dead was now coming around. What Rose didn't realize was that strange blue gas was reanimating the corpse of the young man lying in the coffin behind her.

 

"I'm sorry, sir. We're closed." Said Gwyneth nervously to the two men at the front door, one who she recognized and acknowledged as the famous Charles Dickens, or at least that is what she would say as an excuse if he asked how she knew him, she was afraid that she was doing that sinful thing again where she just simply knew the answers. Or maybe she had just subconsciously picked up that information at the theater. She hoped that was what it really was. The other man she'd seen chasing after the woman that they currently were hiding in their parlor. She prayed that moody looking man had not been able to get a good look at her when she and Sneed had made their hasty exit earlier. Dickens and the Doctor were by no means going to believe her that this business was simply closed for the night. Everyone knew she was hiding Rose and what a ridiculous excuse, that an undertaker was closed for the night. At this outrageous response Mister Dickens's shouted in his most pompous voice possible,  
"Nonsense. Since when did an Undertaker keep office hours? The dead don't die on schedule. I demand to see your master." Gwyneth tried several times to convince the two men to leave, but with no success. The Doctor on the other hand was growing ever more frustrated and impatient with this girl. They both knew who each other were and this farce was wasting his time. This person didn't look like a killer to him, but her accomplish, he wasn't so sure from what he saw of him earlier. The Doctor pushed ahead of Dickens and pounded on the door and roared,  
"Oh come off it, you're a lousy actor! Where is Rose?!" Fueled by the Doctor's anger Dickens' piped up and shouted at her to summon her master. It was then that the Doctor noticed that the gaslight on the wall was behaving in a strange and somewhat disturbingly familiar manner and asked the girl with a knowing smirk,  
"Having trouble with your gas?" The Doctor now distracted by this new mystery pushed past the scared girl for a closer inspection of the fixture. Dickens had also caught a glance of the strange gas fueled flames. The gas in this house was behaving just the same as it had in the theater he had been performing in across town. There was no way that they could be related. The gas sources could not be from the same place they were too far away from each other. And how was this gas related to the kidnappers that they had followed? Was it just coincidence?  
"What the Shakespeare is going on?" demanded Dickens mystified by all the strange happenings around him.  
Inside the chapel Rose was now awake and looking around her new surroundings confused. She rubbed her right temple as her body tried to fight off the lingering effect of the drug she had been unwittingly exposed to. She registered pain and her head ached like she was hung over and felt like someone had taken a 2 by 4 to her head. Although now awake enough to be aware that she was in a new place, she did not have an adequate amount of drug free senses yet to appreciate the gravity of her situation. All she knew was that she needed to stop making a habit of waking up like this. She was removed from her thoughts by the sound of moans and movement from behind her. It took her a moment to realize, but it finally clicked that she was staring at a deathly pale looking man who was crawling out of a coffin, that he very much looked like he belonged in and shouldn't stray far from. He was acting almost like a zombie. It had to be a joke or a prank, she had seen a lot of weird things so far with the Doctor, but waking up in a strange room with a zombie just seemed too out there. It might just be a sick person who needed help so with a shaky voice aiming to be humorous but failing terribly she asked,  
"Are you all right? You're kidding me, yeah? You're just kidding. You are kidding me, aren't you?" As the zombie-looking man lurched closer she realized that she was not being played at. She had thought things were pranks before and that had almost gotten her killed. Fueled by self-perseveration and a powerful desire to be anywhere else, Rose jumped off the table and ran for the only door to the room. She found that, just like last time, the door to safety was locked and trouble was once more behind her. 'Definitely need to stop making a habit of this!' she thought grimly as she banged at the door. Her fear only increased tenfold as she began to realize when looking back at the room that there were now two zombies in the chapel with her. Where was her Doctor?!  
The Doctor listened as hard as he could to the sound coming from the wall behind the gaslight he was inspecting. This was such a strange thing, it sounded like something was alive in the gas pipes. Whatever it was it was probably the answer to this whole gas mystery. While the Doctor pondered over this mystery, Rose who was mere yards away was growing more desperate with each shaky step the zombies took toward her, and finding her voice at last she screamed bloody murder to anyone who could hear her,  
"Let me out! Open the door!" However, Rose feared that this time no one would hear her and every creepy zombie movie she had ever seen crawled around her brain. She didn't want to be horribly ripped apart, eaten and turned into one of those things like in the movies. If that was how being zombified really worked in this case. Fortunately her cries did not fall on deaf ears and in fact a pair of rather large ones heard his mate's frantic cry for help.  
"That's her." Declared the Doctor as he raced to find Rose before harm could come to her. He had gotten so distracted by the gas mystery he had, much to his guilty conscience's dismay, temporally forgotten that Rose was still missing and not safe yet. The maid and Charles were following behind the Doctor, but he didn't care at the moment, he even brushed past the man who had kidnapped Rose. All that mattered was Rose, Rose, Rose and she needed him.

"Please, please, let me out!" Shouted Rose in a last desperate plea before she was snatched from behind and gagged by cold dead fingers. Before her eyes had been tearing up, but now that she was in the putrid grasp of a zombie, she was all out blinded by tears knowing what was in store for her. She prayed that they would just snap her neck so she would not have to endure the unspeakable pain of being eaten alive. Nor could she stand the thought of walking around like one of these things without a soul. She felt the awaited pressure on her neck, but then the locked door was kicked open by a very large booted foot. Through wet eyes she saw him, her hero in leather! Much to her unbridled joy, the zombies appeared to be startled by this action and loosened their grip on her. The Doctor then swiftly pulled the dead man's hand off Rose and twirled her into his waiting arms like it was waltz.

"I think this is my dance partner you got there." He declared to the zombies. Now that Rose's brain had registered that she was safely nestled at the Doctor's side, and not about to be eaten, she was a jumbled mess of adrenaline and hormones. The Doctor would protect her from all harm. In a slight daze of happiness, she threw her arms around her technically-still-her-husband's neck and, not caring who was present, gave him a firm and claiming kiss to his cheek and a quick amorous peck to the side of his neck as it was the only parts of his head she had access to at the moment. If she had had more time she probably would have left a mark on his neck. Later if he wanted. Though she was pretty sure he wouldn't, she would reward him tenfold for that rescue in the most intimate way possible if given the opportunity. For now there were zombies to deal with. The Doctor seemed to be slightly affected by Rose's passionate gesture, but quickly focused his attentions back to the things that had tried to harm Rose.

"It's a prank. It must be. We're under some mesmeric influence." Declared Charles. The Doctor tightened his protective grip around Rose and not breaking eye contact with the two sets of dead eyes before him sternly stated,  
"No, we're not. The dead are walking. Hi." The last part of his sentence was warmer and light hearted, meant to put any unease on Rose's part to rest. He needed her to know that he had control of the situation to calm her adrenaline pumping heart that with his superior Time Lord sense he could feel was pounding like a jackhammer. This single word 'Hi', managed to focus Rose's attention to the present world and she noticed the bearded man from the theater earlier among her kidnappers.

"Hi. Who's your friend?" asked Rose liking the idea of any kind of distraction from the zombies in front of her that they were currently having a standoff with.  
"Charles Dickens." Answered the Doctor back as if it were nothing. Rose, was in shock at the dropping of such a famous name, but decided that with zombies standing in front of them and all that she had been through tonight, to just go with the flow and not question it. After all it was not at all unlikely to run into a 1800s man in the 1800s, and if there were something or someone odd or extraordinary to find she was sure that the Doctor would locate them.  
"Okay." She answered, though it was still unbelievable. The Doctor stared at the deathly blue corpses, sizing them up and finally addressed them,  
"My name's the Doctor. Who are you, then? What do you want?" The male zombie then spoke but not with what sounded like one voice but several different voices at once and eerily childlike,  
"Failing. Open the rift. We're dying. Trapped in this form. Cannot sustain. Help us!" Having exhausted their energy, whatever these gas beings were had left the two bodies which fell to the floor back into their natural state. While Rose and the other humans stared in disgusted horror, the Doctor's mind was analyzing what he had just saw and deciding what the next step to take was.

Gwyneth nervously poured tea for the various guests in the small personal parlor of Mister Sneed. Rose was not happy at all. Having safely removed themselves for now from the threat of reanimated corpses, Rose was all but happy to reprimand and bodily threaten her kidnappers. Rose stomped about in the parlor fuming and had even gone as far as to pick up the room's fireplace iron poker to brandish at Sneed for affect. She was very much her mother's daughter at the moment. The Doctor was also very angry at the danger this tiny little human had put 'his Rose' into, but he couldn't help but smile at the sight of a flustered and angry Rose, especially when said anger was not directed at him. 'Wait a minute. Did I just call her 'my Rose'?' Asked the Doctor of himself. This put him in a slightly vexed mood as he watched on from his spot besides the fire place as Rose continued to give this man's ear a deserved beating.

"First of all you drug me, then you kidnap me, and don't think I didn't feel your hands having a quick wander, you dirty old man." Roared Rose at the man sitting in a plush chair by the fire. At this information the Doctor's eyes went as cold as dry ice and glared into the back of Sneed's head. 'No one feels up my Rose!' he growled to himself. Yet another slip up, but this time it went unnoticed by the Doctor as he shot daggers at Sneed. The cowardly man scratched the back of his head as if he could feel the Doctor's eye burrowing through his skin. If the Doctor wasn't so concerned about getting information out of this pathetic little man he might have been tempted to teach the man to keep his hands to himself. Unfortunately, they needed the undertaker awake and talking so any lessons would have to wait.

In a voice that screamed indignant and in an obvious sense of being better than his accuser the man grumbled to Rose,  
"I won't be spoken to like this!" But Rose would have none of his posturing. She was seriously peeved and faintly annoyed that the Doctor wasn't the one shouting this man's ears off for what she had been through. Not that she needed him to, but some outrage would be nice. The Doctor was actually angry enough to do so for her, but Rose was already doing such a great job, he thought that it would be rude to interrupt her. Plus if he unleashed his true fury at this man for endangering Rose, the chap might die of fright and then they would never get any information from him. And he wasn't going to count on Sneed coming back from the dead to chat them up. The Doctor had remained relatively cool so far and to Rose's observations, at least, seemed to be content to be an alien observer of the apes. Irritated she shouted to the little twit,  
"Then you stuck me in a room full of zombies! And if that ain't enough, you swan off and leave me to die! So come on, talk!" Sneed was tired of being accused of having anything to do with something he neither controlled nor even wanted anything to do with in the first place. So in a last attempt to make the simpletons understand his situation he shouted out to the girl and the room,  
"It's not my fault. It's this house. It always had a reputation. Haunted. But I never had much bother until a few months back, and then the stiffs!.." Noticing that his language in regards to the dead might be viewed as too harsh to his audience he amended that statement and in a gentler voice corrected,  
"The er, dear departed started getting restless." Dickens who had been listening to the whole spectacle from a chair across the room scoffed at the crazy man's insinuation. Sneed merely argued his point more firmly that he was powerless to keep the dead in his house from stirring.

Sneed proceeded to go into more elaborate detail and stories of departed "customers" walking about when they should be laying in coffins, but the Doctor found himself distracted by Gwyneth handing him a cup of tea with two sugars, just as he liked it. Now that was a curious thing, thought the Doctor. It was almost as if she was reading his mind, and that was when he raised his eyes in realization. From the other side of the room Dickens continued to spout denials of what he had seen with his own eyes, and his closed mind annoyed the Doctor. So much was the Doctor exasperated that even though he idolized the Earthling writer he felt compelled to shout at him,  
"If you're going to deny it, don't waste my time. Just shut up." Having silenced and somewhat humiliated the writer, the Doctor then turned his attentions back to Sneed and the problem at hand.  
"What about the gas?" asked the Doctor of Sneed.  
"That's new, sir. Never seen anything like that." Replied the undertaker obediently, as if finally having someone to tell all this information to was relieving.  
"Means it's getting stronger, the rift's getting wider and something's sneaking through." Announced the Doctor, and of course the Doctor was once more reciting information obvious to him but not to anyone else in the room. Once more, in a confused fashion, Rose felt obligated to ask a question of her husband,  
"What's the rift?" Happy that someone was asking the right questions, and not surprised that it was Rose doing the asking, The Doctor replied,  
"A weak point in time and space. A connection between this place and another. That's the cause of ghost stories, most of the time." Not knowing how else to respond Rose simply nodded her head, but Sneed piped up,  
"That's how I got the house so cheap. Stories going back generations." Dickens was having none of these foolish stories and nonsense about ghosts. He had already been humiliated by The Doctor and he wasn't about to sit there and eat up all this ridiculous information that everyone in the room was talking as seriously about as if they were discussing the politics of today. He got up and stormed out of the room to unmask all these claims for the trickery they were. Sneed although taken by surprise at Dickens's sudden departure from the room merely continued his explanation to the Doctor and Rose,  
"Echoes in the dark, queer songs in the air, and this feeling like a shadow passing over your soul. Mind you, truth be told, it's been good for business. Just what people expect from a gloomy old trade like mine."

The Doctor having heard all he needed from Sneed was now worried about Dickens, perhaps he had been a bit too harsh. Although the Doctor felt that his chastising had been completely in the right he still didn't want to leave Dickens upset. He was clearly just having trouble as any ape did at first when accepting that the world was much bigger and more wonderful than they had previously thought. Sure he wasn't catching on as fast as Rose had but every human was different, even the genius ones. Dickens would be a great ally to have fully on board for this little adventure. But he clearly needed some comforting and convincing first and The Doctor was just the Time Lord for the job. Set on his mission The Doctor went off after Charles Dickens to talk, leaving Rose once again alone with her two kidnappers.

Sneed smiled nervously at Rose who scowled back at him. She wasn't going to let him think for one minute that he could relax around her. One wrong move and she would be at his throat like a wolf. Gwyneth flustered as ever noticed that there was nothing really left for her to do in the room. Grateful that her task was done she made her way to the back of the house to busy her mind with some chores. Rose however felt too disgusted by the pathetic little man to stay in a room with him longer than needed and decided to follow Gwyneth to the cupboard until the Doctor got back. The girl did not cross her as the mastermind of her recent abduction and Rose found it easier to forgive her. Her nervous presence made her more an object to be pitied than hated. She was just an innocent girl caught up in something too big for her stubborn employer to acknowledge he couldn't handle. Gwyneth also seemed worth having a talking to over Sneed any day and Rose couldn't help but feel that the young girl gave off an air of knowing more than she was saying about a lot of things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note:  
> The next chapter is called, Girl talk and Table Rappers. Rose is finally going to have another woman around her age to talk about her man troubles with, won't that be fun!


	20. Chapter 20 - Girl Talk and table rappers

Complicated  
by the Plot Thinens  
Girl Talk and table rappers– Chapter 20

 

The young woman, known as Gwyneth, lit the gas lamp in the cupboard with the help of a match from a box of them that she kept in her apron's pocket. She was then to begin cleaning out the dishes used for the previous odd gathering that Rose had just been party to. However, much to Gwyneth's surprise, Rose was starting up on the washing before her. The servant girl felt a pang of disgrace towards herself and her cleaning skills if this lady of fashion felt that she was in need of a hand. A woman such as Rose shouldn't be dirtying her hands doing such work and she voiced this.  
"Please, miss, you shouldn't be helping. It's not right." Chirped the servant girl as she took the rag that Rose had picked up from her and started to fiercely clean out a tea cup. Rose had to laugh a little, what was the big deal if she helped with the dishes? And this girl obviously had enough work to do without attending to unexpected living house guests. She also doubted that she got a lot of money for it.  
"Don't be daft. Sneed works you to death. How much do you get paid?"  
"Eight pound a year, miss." Answered Gwyneth right away, quite obviously proud of her wage. That was far less than Rose would have guessed even for Victorian England. And she asked again of the amount, not sure if she had heard wrong. To which Gwyneth smirked,  
"I know. I would've been happy with six." Gwyneth was pleased with how speechless this upper class woman was with her income. The girl also didn't mind showing off how impressed she was with her generous salary. It was very good for a young single woman like herself in this day and age. If one wanted to be a little scandalous then she might even consider herself one of those modern new aged independent women. Rose sought to change the subject to something else. She was already amazed with how little money was considered a lot in the 1800s; it was practically a slave's wage. She wanted to relate to this woman and she desperately needed to find something in common to do so or she worried she would just continue to gawk at what this servant girl considered perfectly normal by her time's standards.  
"So, did you go to school or what?" Asked Rose as it was the only other thing that came to her mind. The girl looked affronted to what she felt was being implied of her and in a bit of a haughty way, or at least what was haughty for her, she declared,  
"Of course I did. What do you think I am, an urchin? I went every Sunday, nice and proper." Just Sunday?! Rose could not believe this. She used to forget what she learned the next day, she couldn't imagine how you could hope to retain anything with lessons a week between each other. Rose inquired if she really had only gone to school once a week. To which the girl proudly told of how she was taught sums, and to be honest, she had hated every second of it. Now this was something young Rose could relate to, but she felt that Gwyneth was a bit spoiled in that she only had to endure one day of school while she had had to endure it five times a week. Rose was smart but she never until recent years felt the desire to apply herself in school. After all people in her class didn't usually move up in the world and with that already engrained into you from a young age, why try? Though finally able to have something to share in common Rose admitted conspiratorially that she too had hated school as a child.  
"Don't tell anyone, but one week, I didn't go and ran on the heath all on my own." Giggled Gwyneth to Rose as if they were two little girls trying to keep a secret from the adults in the next room. Rose rolled her eyes and in the spirit of bonding admitted,  
"I did plenty of that. I used to go down to the shops with my mate Shareen. We used to go and look at boys." Gwyneth found herself laughing with Rose but then quickly corrected herself and very stiffly replied,  
"Well, I don't know much about that, miss." Rose snickered at the girl's uptight behavior and laughed,  
"Come on, times haven't changed that much. I bet you've done the same." Gwyneth continued to deny having engaged in any such activities. But finally with a little coaxing she managed to get Gwyneth to admit,  
"I suppose. There is one lad. The butcher's boy. He comes by every Tuesday. Such a lovely smile on him." Rose's grin couldn't get any bigger.  
"I like a nice smile. Good smile, nice bum." Smiled Rose. Gwyneth was shocked at this well-born woman's ease at admitting such intimate details. Either her idea of how the upper-class conducted themselves was false or she didn't know what to think.  
"Well, I have never heard the like." Retorted Gwyneth whose face was tinting red now that her traitorous brain was thinking about the butcher boy's bum as he walked away from the backdoor last Tuesday. Rose began to look a bit nostalgic and she leaned back against the shelves behind her as she looked off into the distance.  
"That's actually one of the things that drew me to John, hmm, his smile. He had a great big smile, a special one. Just for me that made me feel like the most important person on the planet… Course his bum was pretty nice too. Firm, you just wanted to pinch it and make his ears tint red. Even when we role played later on I could still get him to…" Rose rambled until she realized that she was probably getting a bit too carried away in her girl talk with a Victorian minded young woman. Straightening up Rose went back on to the previous subject and stated,  
"Anyway, ask him out. Give him a cup of tea or something, that's a start." The servant girl couldn't believe her ears, this woman was something else. With all that fire and spirit she wondered how any parents or otherwise could have reigned her in long enough to teach her to be a proper lady. She could only imagine the way Rose behaved as a little girl. And she couldn't have just come into money either, she had perfect teeth by Gwyneth's standards and she had none of the telltale signs of having grown up in want or even malnutrition.

"I swear it is the strangest thing, miss. You've got all the clothes and the breeding, but you talk like some sort of wild thing." Rose looked a little put off by this. She knew that she was dressed as a 'lady,' but regardless of what was expected of a 'lady,' she considered herself a lady who could take care of herself. Being independent and speaking your mind didn't make a woman any less civilized in her book. Nor did wanting to actively seek out a date. Rose's attitude and lack of shyness to convention had, after all, scored her John. Once more leaning back against the shelves and in a confident voice she declared,  
"Maybe I am. Maybe that's a good thing. You need a bit more in your life than Mister Sneed." Now Gwyneth felt the need to defend her employer. Sure he had been, well misbehaving as of late, but he wasn't a bad man. At least not in her book and she announced to Rose,  
"Oh, now that's not fair. He's not so bad, old Sneed. He was very kind to me to take me in because I lost my mum and dad to the flu when I was twelve." Rose was able to partly identify with the girl, having grown up with a parent missing in her life. Her father had died when she was very little and she couldn't imagine how hard it would be not having her Mum at least. And growing up in this time, penniless, a girl without parents and on her own, it was just an accomplishment living long enough to be an adult. Rose expressed her deepest sympathies to the girl, but she just smiled and replied,  
"Thank you, miss. But I'll be with them again, one day, sitting with them in paradise. I shall be so blessed. They're waiting for me. Maybe your dad's up there waiting for you too, miss or should I say Missus.  
"Maybe. Er, who told you he was dead? Or that I was married?" Asked Rose, she knew that she had not mentioned her father to the girl and she was certain that she didn't say she was married, but her ring could have easily given that way. And come to think of it, after the way she had spoken about John, then she had better hope that the girl assumed that she was married. Talking like she had in this day and age might imply other things if you weren't married. The servant looked nervous again and simply wrote it off by saying,  
"I don't know. Must have been the Doctor." Rose was pretty sure that the Doctor would have sooner admitted to being her babysitter than her husband at this point in their rebooted relationship, but she let it pass. She was more concern with the subject of her father. She would have had to have mentioned it to John, but she couldn't remember if she had said anything about her father to the Doctor. Rose's father had died so long ago that he didn't come up in the conversation a lot. Rose wasn't even sure how much of John's knowledge had been inherited by the Doctor. He had to have a basic knowledge of her or how else would they have been able to work together so well in such a short time. Rose remembered herself and the girl waiting patiently in front of her and decided to continue on the subject of parents, since Gwyneth could relate to the loss.  
"My father died years back." Declared Rose feeling sad, but still a bit detached as she only knew her father from old photographs and stories that her mother had told her. Still she had lacked that closeness to a male role model or a man in general growing up. With her mother bouncing from boyfriend to boyfriend as she was growing up and never having a solid male presence in her life, Rose had gone off looking in the wrong places for that closeness. That had got her into a lot of trouble in the past. It wasn't until Mickey and then her knight in shining armor, John, came along that she had those solid relationships and positive male role models in her life that had been lacking. Mickey had taught her that she deserved having the attention of a good man and John had shown her that she could be truly and deeply loved by a good man. Still she felt her father's absence a lot more lately now that the man in her life had once more been abruptly taken from her. Not that John had wanted to leave her or that he really had. He was still here, technically, physically anyway. They just need time, yeah? Rose hugged herself a bit for comfort.  
"But you've been thinking about him lately more than ever. Especially with all the changes going on lately, and you speak as if the man you love is so far away but he's not." Declared Gwyneth as if she knew all these personal matters as facts. She wasn't guessing she knew that she was right and it perplexed Rose, though for some reason it did not threaten her or insulted at her prying knowledge.  
"I suppose so. How do you know all this?" Asked Rose who genuinely wanted to know where and how she was getting all this accurate intelligence from. The girl looked flustered and bowed her head in shame,  
"Mister Sneed says I think too much. I'm all alone down here. I bet you've got dozens of servants, haven't you, missus?" Inquired the mousy girl. Rose giggled at the idea of her having servants, the most service she ever got was at a sit down restaurant and that was nothing special. Well if John had been with her it was always special, but still she was just a chav from the Powell Estate.  
"No, no servants where I'm from." Declared Rose. That's when Gwyneth started for lack of a better word to get really spooky. She stated as fact that Rose had come from a great distance to be where she was currently standing and when asked by Rose, what made her assume such a thing, she began to ramble,  
"You're from London. I've seen London in drawings, but never like that. All those people rushing about half naked, for shame." The girl went on about the noise in London and what she didn't realize, with her Victorian disposition, were cars and air planes. But as amazing as people flying were, Rose had flown farther than anyone before. She was clearly divining the future that Rose came from, but then her ramblings turned dark and with obvious intent to warn.  
"The things you've seen and will see. You need to be careful and watch out for danger, the two of you. The darkness, the big bad wolf…" squeaked Gwyneth as she stepped back in terror, then remembering herself she tried to regain her composure.  
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, missus." Said Gwyneth apologetically, hoping that she had not gone and alienated herself from yet another person. Rose took pity on the scared woman and assured her that she had nothing to be sorry for. It was then that Gwyneth admitted to her inability to stop seeing things that she shouldn't be able to see. And that even her mother had told her she had this sight and that it had to be hidden or else others would fear her. For the most she did a good job hiding it but lately it was insistent. She couldn't stop it from coming out.

"It's getting stronger, more powerful, is that right?" Asked the Doctor, startling the two and seemingly coming out of nowhere, nowhere being the cupboard entrance. He always did move too quietly thought Rose and he had obviously been listening in on their conversation. As to when he started listening Rose didn't know but she hoped not too early. She wasn't sure how the Doctor would feel about her talking about John, or rather him, in an intimate sense to a stranger as she had been earlier. Fortunately, she didn't have to think about that too long as Gwyneth explained to the Doctor,  
"All the time, sir. Every night, voices in my head." The Doctor took pity on the confused girl and gently explained to her what time spent growing up on the rift had done to her.  
"You're part of it. You're the key." Smiled the Doctor, but the girl still seemed to be ill at ease.  
"I've tried to make sense of it, sir. Consulted with spiritualists, table rappers, all sorts." The Doctor found this information to be very encouraging and beamed,  
"Well, that should help. You can show us what to do." To which the Girl asked how and what she was meant to do. And with his famous grin the Doctor declared in all seriousness,  
"We're going to have a séance."

 

The groups had migrated to Mister Sneed's living room and were now gathered around a table.  
"This is how Madam Mortlock summons those from the Land of Mists, down in big town. Come, we must all join hands." Instructed Gwyneth with the first confidence she had shown yet, she was even a little excited. The Doctor couldn't help but admire the look of a being given their chance to shine in what they did best. She was truly herself and not hiding what she was in this moment. Maybe the reason that she seemed so nervous all the time was the stress of constantly having to hide her gift from the world for fear of reprisal. But every group has to have a naysayer and Dickens was obviously not getting into the 'spirit' of the matter. He refused to hold hands and got up from the table.  
"I can't take part in this." Dickens said in a gruff voice.

"Humbug? Come on, open mind." Smiled the Doctor as he joined hands with Sneed and Gwyneth , very excited to get this séance underway. Rose couldn't help but notice that the Doctor had elected to sit across from her and not hold her hand. Now she was presented with the option of holding the hands of two other men. One that she only knew as her kidnapper and groper and the other although she knew from history, was a stranger to her otherwise. She didn't want to think that the Doctor would be as insensitive to tell her to get over the kidnapping thing and the rest that went with it if she voiced her displeasure. But she couldn't help but feel that he was incapable, as the alien he was now, of grasping at how uncomfortable a situation she was being put in. Or what discomforts she was putting aside for him. She was also miffed that the last man to feel her up in the past twenty four hours was not her husband. However, for the sake of Gwyneth and to avoid what the Doctor called domestics she held two man's hands. She did make sure to accidently pinch Sneed's hand and twist it before settling her left hand into his right. She held out her right to Dickens, but he still was moving about the room in a huff.

"This is precisely the sort of cheap mummery I strive to unmask. Séances? Nothing but luminous tambourines and a squeeze box concealed between the knees. This girl knows nothing." Bellowed the famous writer. Gwyneth obviously accustomed to this sort of accusation against to her honesty and sight drew her eyes down to the table in embarrassment, but the Doctor didn't need old Charlie being, as the Earth saying went, 'a doubting Thomas' right now. He needed Gwyneth in full form and at her best level of self-belief.  
"Now, don't antagonize her. I love a happy medium." Smirked the Doctor. Rose just rolled her eyes at her technically-still-her-husband, 'talk about corn ball', she thought and then said aloud,  
"I can't believe you just said that." The Doctor giggled along with Rose for a moment but then straightened up very proper and encouraged Dickens to join them as he might be needed in the act that they were about to engage in. Finally deciding to throw his pride to the wind, the writer agreed to sit down and joined hands with Rose and Gwyneth. The Doctor instructed Gwyneth to reach out with her gift and the servant girl relaxed and exhaled,  
"Speak to us. Are you there? Spirits, come. Speak to us that we may relieve your burden." Dickens merely rolled his eyes but continued to hold hands. Suddenly Rose thought that she could hear whispering and almost conspiratorially asked if anyone else could hear what she was hearing? Charles was at the end of his patience with the woman's remark and barked that nothing could happen and that this was a waste of time. Rose told the man to look at Gwyneth and that was when he saw and believed. Gaseous wisps were forming around Gwyneth's head and she informed the gathered of their presence. They heard what might have been words, but they were too weak and the Doctor urged Gwyneth to look deeper and take control.  
"I can't!" Cried Gwyneth but the Doctor insisted,  
"Yes, you can. Just believe it. I have faith in you, Gwyneth. Make the link." Knowing what to do the girl finally made contact and behind her appeared the outline of three blue-ish figures.  
"Great God! Spirits from the other side!" Declared Sneed to the room in astonishment  
"The other side of the universe." The Doctor corrected, the closest figure then began to speak with its own voice and at the same time through Gwyneth's voice and begged,  
"Pity us. Pity the Gelth. There is so little time. Help us." The Doctor was taken aback and driven to listen at the urgency of the beings voice.  
"What do you want us to do?" he asked the gaseous being.  
"The rift. Take the girl to the rift. Make the bridge." Implored the Gelth. That was very specific and the Doctor wasn't going to just do what he was told, he needed a reason.  
"What for?" asked the Doctor genuinely wondering. The Gelth explained to the room's occupants, who stared on in shocked awe of the beings before them, that they were few in number and as the last of their kind, faced extinction. The Doctor being able to relate to being the last of a dying race piped up and asked the specters why and what had happened?  
"Once we had a physical form like you, but then the war came." Answered the Gelth and upon asking what war they spoke of to the Doctor's grief they responded,  
"The Time War." Rose looked across the way to the Doctor who made eye contact with her but then lowered his head in what appeared to be mourning and possibly shame. Rose wondered if this was the same war that the Doctor had spoken of as the Gelth continued,  
" The whole universe convulsed. The Time War raged. Invisible to smaller species but devastating to higher forms. Our bodies wasted away. We're trapped in this gaseous state."  
"So that's why you need the corpses." Declared the Doctor. That explained the sorry state they found themselves in now and why they were body snatching.  
"We want to stand tall, to feel the sunlight, to live again. We need a physical form, and your dead are abandoned. They're going to waste. Give them to us." The Gelth begged. Rose looked to them and said in astonishment,  
"But we can't." The Doctor furrowed his brow to Rose and asked her why they could not give them the dead to use as vessels. Rose was taken aback by the Doctor's question. It seemed obvious to her why they simply could not comply with the Gelth's request, it was wrong. But as she tried to word why and how she felt about it, she found words were failing her and she was coming up short on them. Instead she stammered,  
"It's not. I mean, it's not…" The Doctor was irritated by Rose's domestic and archaic thinking toward dead bodies left to rot and asked her in a reprimanding voice,  
"Not decent? Not polite? It could save their lives." Rose found herself rendered mute at not only his shabby treatment of her but how opposite her beliefs were to the Doctor. What he was suggesting was just wrong to her and she couldn't help but feel that way. What a time to learn she had different ideological views from her technically-still-her-husband. The Gelth were now losing strength and before they faded away once more into the gas lines they shouted,  
"Open the rift. Let the Gelth through. We're dying. Help us. Pity the Gelth." Gwyneth now done fell over once she was released from her direct connection with the Rift and the Gelth. Rose was immediately concerned for the girl's safety and flew to her side to attend to her. Dickens and Sneed simply sat there in shock. Charles had undeniable proof that all he had seen and heard was true, and although he thought he knew all, now realized that he knew nothing.  
The first thing that Gwyneth became aware of was that she was lying down on the chaise longue, the second was what she had just been through and she sat up in shock. Rose's hands were on her and she began to steady and comfort the startled girl.  
"It's all right. You just sleep." Whispered Rose to the girl.  
"But my angels, miss. They came, didn't they? They need me?" Asked Gwyneth through an exhausted haze. She then became aware of the Doctor standing some ways off and leaning against the wall.  
"They do need you, Gwyneth. You're their only chance of survival." He declared in earnest. Rose tightened her protective hold on Gwyneth, trying to shield the young girl from what the Doctor implied.  
"I've told you, leave her alone. She's exhausted and she's not fighting your battles." Announced Rose to the Doctor as she handed a glass of water to the fatigued girl. Sneed then piped up and asked the Doctor to clarify what he had said earlier about the creatures.  
"Doctor? Explain it again. What are they?" he asked in his confusion of the situation before them.  
"Aliens." Answered the Doctor dryly. That didn't seem to make sense to Sneed as he had never seem people like the Gelth before, but the world was large, maybe there were such people on some savage continent oceans away.  
"Like foreigners, you mean?" Inquired Sneed who desperately wanted to know where on Earth these people were from that the Doctor surely must have seen in his travels. The Doctor rolled his eyes exasperated with the thought of trying to explain outer space aliens to an ape whose species had not even invented airplanes yet at this point.  
"Pretty foreign, yeah. From up there." Said the Doctor as he pointed up to the sky. Poor Sneed could not think as high as the sky and thought the Doctor meant up North instead.  
"Brecon?" he asked in disbelief, the Doctor not even bothering to correct him on how tiny his thinking was simply replied,  
"Close. And they've been trying to get through from Brecon to Cardiff but the road's blocked. Only a few can get through and even then they're weak. They can only test drive the bodies for so long, then they have to revert to gas and hide in the pipes."  
"Which is why they need the girl." Shouted Dickens who had obviously, in the time Gwyneth had been out cold, been indulging in some heavy drinking. Rose was horrified by the men's compliance with handing Gwyneth over to some Alien's that although seemed to be in need of assistance, they knew nothing about.  
"They're not having her." She hissed to the men, the Doctor couldn't understand how Rose couldn't see it her way, it was so simple how they could help this dying race. And the Doctor had seen so many races die that he did not want to sit idly by and watch another go extinct because of the Time War.  
"But she can help. Living on the rift, she's become part of it. She can open it up, make a bridge and let them through." Said the Doctor, trying to make Rose just see his way as moral and right. It was then that Dickens decided to drunkenly amble over and declared his observation although unbelievable,  
"Incredible. Ghosts that are not ghosts, but beings from another world, who can only exist in our world by inhabiting cadavers." The Doctor saw the brilliance in the idea that the Gelth had devised on their own.  
"Good system. It might work." Declared the Doctor to Rose and Dickens. Rose felt up against the wall, how could they possibly want to go through with this? It was so obviously wrong to her, the Doctor didn't know any of these dead people he was volunteering and did he even take the feelings of those left behind into account. Didn't he see how painful it could be for someone to see the body of their departed love one walking about while someone, not their loved one, controlled it and manipulated it to their will? Her father was dead and if she or her mother saw something doing such a thing to his remains they would be devastated. It was desecration of corpses!  
"You can't let them run around inside of dead people." Rose defended.  
"Why not? It's like recycling." Countered the Doctor in a relaxed unconcerned air that left Rose stunned to hear him talking about the dead bodies of her species as if they were second-hand shoes. Rose thought that he must not be taking this idea seriously and tried to clarify as best she could that this idea was a no-go.  
"Seriously though, you can't." Stated Rose. The Doctor just scoffed at Rose and what he considered backward thinking. Back in the renaissance of humanity, you couldn't even cut up a corpse for fear of desecration and sin, but look how much they learned about medicine when they finally did? How advanced could their understanding of the human body be by now if they just saw the body of a dead human as just rotting flesh, nothing more. No domestics, no wasted attachments to something that was no longer a loved one and no more feeling than dirt on the ground or dust on a table. Which by the way was what the human body would eventually be, dust.  
"Seriously though, I can." Said the Doctor, losing his patience with Rose yet again. Rose would not be side stepped on this issue, the Doctor might be a superior being but that didn't mean that he knew everything and she wasn't going to just follow him blindly. This was a marriage and an equal partnership, damn it.  
"It's just wrong. Those bodies were living people. We should respect them even in death." The Doctor rolled his eyes and tried to word his next sentence in terms her ape-ish little brain could grasp,  
"Do you carry a donor card?" asked the Doctor condescendingly. Rose saw what he was getting at but this wasn't like that, she volunteered to be that, these people had not.  
"That's different. That's…" Rose tried to say what was on her mind but was cut off by the Doctor, talking down to her.  
"It is different, yeah. It's a different morality. Get used to it or go home. You heard what they said, time's short. I can't worry about a few corpses when the last of the Gelth could be dying." Barked the Doctor at a shocked Rose. After he had said it the Doctor had even surprised himself by how short and cruel he had been with Rose. He wanted to change his tone and go at this argument in a different direction, but by then it was already too late. The Doctor had said what he said and Rose was angry. How dare he talk to her like she was a simpleton. Even though Rose saw the Doctor as an equal it was becoming painfully clear that The Doctor did not feel the same towards her. He didn't even respect her opinion and that knowledge alone was enough to boil over the anger that had been stewing in her. Why was he even wasting his words on her if he thought that she was just a dumb ape? Why didn't he just ignore her instead if he saw her as being so ridiculous in his bloated alien mind? Angrily the blond shouted at the Doctor,  
"I don't care. They're not using her. And you are the King of mixed messages! You know that? Ya git!" The Doctor was astonished that even at a time like this Rose was bringing up domestics again. Why couldn't he just reason with her, why did she have to see things so differently from him and be so difficult?  
"The Gelth are dying and you want to have this conversation now?! Damn bloody apes and their domestics!" Declared the Doctor not believing this immature human's priorities. That did it, Rose was ready to snap and she did. Hang 1869! Hang any pretense of keeping up appearances, she was having a full on 'domestic' dispute right now!  
"Everything I do is domestic to you! Everything! It makes me bloody wonder why you bother with Earth at all! If you didn't want to have to deal with human domestics, even in a small way then you should have found a different planet with a species of inferior beings to toy with the lives of! And hid among them instead! How do you think I feel, Time Lord? Trying to make accommodations for you all the time, yeah? I never know what will set you off?! I'm done being quiet and understanding for you! Like it or not, you are married to a human being and if you can't accept me as I am and how I think, then I don't know why you brought me along in the first place! You had Jack, you could have left a wife you didn't want behind like any other git of a male from Earth! I don't know why I don't just go home! You know, my ideas although apish to you, are just as worthy of considering as yours and I don't see why we should risk Gwyneth getting hurt! I understand the urgency of the situation, but she is innocent of all this!" Rose said fuming, but her long row was interrupted by the mousy haired girl,  
"Don't I get a say, missus? And you shouldn't be fighting, it's not right." Squeaked Gwyneth to the two arguing people.  
"Look, you don't understand what's going on." Said Rose trying to explain that Gwyneth was missing something big in her understanding of the situation.  
"You would say that, missus, because that's very clear inside your head, that you think I'm stupid." Declared Gwyneth, angry at Rose's cheek, but also a bit hurt.  
"That's not fair." Piped Rose to the girl. She didn't think she was stupid just ignorant of what was going on around her and if she could put it in the right way she would understand too. 'Is that how the Doctor feels when he looks at me?' thought Rose to herself. Maybe that was where a lot of the tension between them was coming from and she just wasn't capable of seeing things through his eyes like he did. But that didn't mean that her opinion should be over looked. Something just didn't seem right to her. Rose's thoughts were interrupted when Gwyneth declared,  
"It's true, though. Things might be very different where you're from, but here and now, I know my own mind, and the angels need me." Rose had her reservations, but she had to admit that she was acting just like the Doctor was. She was thinking that a person not as evolved or knowledgeable as herself had an opinion not as weighted as her own. She just hoped that the Doctor was seeing this too and learning something from it.  
"Doctor, what do I have to do?" Asked the servant girl of The Doctor. The Doctor having been calmed down by Gwyneth assured the girl that she did not need to do anything. He didn't want her or Rose to think that he would force Gwyneth to do anything against her will, but the young woman would have none of it and proclaimed,  
"They've been singing to me since I was a child, sent by my mam on a holy mission. So tell me." The Doctor was then off like a shot bouncing around the room brimming with ideas to solve this next problem. Looking all about he announced,  
"We need to find the rift. This house is on a weak spot, so there must be a spot that's weaker than any other. Mister Sneed, what's the weakest part of this house? The place where most of the ghosts have been seen?" Sneed looked at the Doctor with grim realization and gulped,  
"That would be the morgue." Rose, who had been sitting besides Gwyneth as the two girls watched the Doctor fly about the room, did not like the idea of where they would be going next. She then declared in a nervous and shaky voice,  
"No chance you were going to say gazebo, is there?" The group then made their way down to the morgue and to the end of this quest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's notes: I hope I didn't make the Doctor too terrible in this chapter; it's all for the sake of their relationships character development. And Rose really had to get some stuff out in the open, even if she didn't get an answer yet.


	21. Chapter 21 -For Better or for Worse

Complicated  
By the Plot Thinens  
For Better or for Worse – Chapter 21

The path down to the morgue was cold. They had left the relative warmth of the upper part of the funeral parlor to ascend down into a catacomb-like looking chamber. No wonder they stored bodies down here, it was probably freezing cold in the summer too. Cold radiated from the stones on the wall and Rose was starting to seriously envy the Doctor's leather jacket. With the scarf no longer around her neck her shoulders and chest were chilly and she didn't think that the Doctor was in as compliant a mood to let her cling to his arm for warmth. In fact, his stoic look and tightened chin was probably making her more nervous, especially for Gwyneth. They now where at the bottom of the stairs and Rose could already see the white sheets covering the chilled remains of some person departed. She could also see knives, saws, and every form of rusty looking implement possible to disembowel a human corpse. Despite having grown up on the Powell estate in a relatively dangerous area, Rose had only ever seen a person dead once before, Mickey's 'sweet' old grandmother. Tonight she had already seen two dead people and they had been moving around like movie monsters and if the plan were to go as followed, there would be more walking undead about. She wasn't sure if she wanted to stick around to see that, but she proceeded for Gwyneth's moral support. Rose just hoped that if the dead did start walking around again that she didn't hang on the Doctor in fear. She was still mad at him and didn't want her technically-still-her-husband knowing that she was frightened or give him the satisfaction of knowing that she needed his comfort.

 

"Urgh. Talk about Bleak House." Declared the Doctor as he surveyed the grim room. Rose watched the other three people with her look about the morgue for the weak point in the Rift, and that was when something hit her that didn't make sense about what they were doing.  
"The thing is, Doctor, the Gelth don't succeed, 'cos I know they don't. I know for a fact there weren't corpses walking around in 1869." Stated Rose in confusion to the Doctor, pretty sure that something as significant as that would have made her school history books and would have easily been interesting enough to grab the attention of any and every underachieving student at her state run school.

If the Doctor had not heard the false idea of linear timelines so often from humans he might have thought that Rose's simplified logic of time progression was cute. But a green companion was always a liability and he needed Rose to understand just how fragile time and her very existence or the continued existence of anything as she remembered it truly was. It was very important that she understand the nature of time if she were to continue traveling with him. The last thing he needed was a companion with a laid back attitude of 'Because it already happened by the time I was born, it's going to happen the same way regardless of how much effort I put in. So why worry or try?' That thinking got people killed.  
"Time's in flux, changing every second. Your cozy little world can be rewritten like that. Nothing is safe. Remember that. Nothing." Said the Doctor sternly and in all earnest as he stared his icy blue eyes right into Rose's hazels ones. The Doctor's cold and grim voice cut her to the bone and she believed him and feared the fragility of time. She also couldn't help but feel that he was warning her not to expect that her timeline's safety was granted when she traveled with him. And if she really wanted to go by his tone that she was never safe not even with him. Rose's thoughts were halted by Dickens making a comment about the room growing colder. Rose had to agree that she was feeling chilled to the bone, and even more so when she began to notice the creepy wafting of blue gas gathering under an arch in the morgue. After a sufficient amount of gaseous material exited the gas lines the same lead Gelth appeared before them. In a sad and hopeful voice the Gelth declared,  
"You've come to help. Praise the Doctor. Praise him." Rose felt that the Gelth was getting ahead of itself, and she had not forgotten the potential risk being presented to Gwyneth. She had to have them assure Gwyneth's safety and demanded,  
"Promise you won't hurt her." The Gelth seemed to ignore Rose's demand and merely continued to beg,  
"Hurry! Please, so little time. Pity the Gelth." The Doctor was nervous. He had ignored what Rose had said earlier about the using of human corpses, the survival of a dying race took priority in his mind. But he could not ignore the risk of harm that could befall humans and Gelth if one species got spooked by the other. The Gelth could not stay on Earth. Humanity was even less ready to deal with this sort of situation and might even attribute it to demons or devils or whatever they were called. Panicked humans were some of the most dangerous beings the Doctor had ever met. Coming to a proper solution that might help everyone in the long run he stated to the Gelth,  
"I'll take you somewhere else after the transfer. Somewhere you can build proper bodies. This isn't a permanent solution, all right?" He didn't want the Gelth to make the mistake that they could just start walking around and coexisting with the general population of Earth without an issue. As higher beings they might not be accustomed to the actions and thinking of lower beings. Although it would probably give Rose the willies, the Gelth inhabited corpses would have to travel with him in the TARDIS and find a suitable planet to start over.

"My angels. I can help them live." Trumpeted Gwyneth with joy of what she could do for these wayward spirits. The Gelth then, with much enthusiasm, instructed the Doctor as to where the weak point that they had been looking for was. Gwyneth let out a cry of delight as she was told that the weak point was under the arch. The girl went to step into place but was halted by Rose imploring her that she did not have to go through with this, but the servant girl's mind was set and she walked into place. With everything ready, the Gelth shouted out to the girl to establish the bridge and grant them freedom.  
"Yes, I can see you. I can see you. Come!" Declared Gwyneth as she reached out to her angels.  
"Bridgehead establishing." Cried out the Gelth as if it were ignoring the words of the girl helping them and merely focusing on the task at hand. Gwyneth ever the kind and caring being radiated her kindness to the Gelth, guiding them in.  
"Come to me. Come to this world, poor lost souls!" Called out the girl to the Gelth. The Gelth declared that the bridge to Earth was made and blue gas began to pour from the servant girl's mouth. It was not a pleasant or normal looking sight to Rose's eyes and she was sure every other human in the chamber probably felt the same.  
"She has given herself to the Gelth. The bridge is open. We descend." Shouted the Gelth. Suddenly the mood in the room shifted from creepily benign to frightful and angry. The blue apparition of the group went from looking childlike and innocent to burning red with flames and sharp teeth to add to its menacing appearance. In a voice that now sounded like that of a demon the Gelth declared that it they were coming through in force. Any pretense of helplessness or friendliness was now dropped and the Gelth began to show their true nature to the growing ever nervous liberators. Seeing that obviously more than just a simple few were coming through the void Dickens announced in confusion,  
"You said that you were few in number." As he said this more and more Gelth circled about the group, passing coldly through the living until finally settling inside nearby dead.  
"A few billion. And all of us in need of corpses." Hissed the evil specter, reveling in its successful deceit. All about the morgue corpses began to move about and finally stand. Rose was now very frightened along with everyone else in the room. Especially the Doctor as he began to realize that he had made a terrible mistake in trusting the Gelth. Sneed had had more than enough of his share of walking corpses and began to make demands of his employee,  
"Gwyneth, stop this. Listen to your master. This has gone far enough. Stop dabbling, child, and leave these things alone, I beg of you!" Sneed was so distracted and focused on the girl that he did not notice the old dead man creeping up behind him.  
"Mister Sneed, get back!" warned Rose, but it was too late. Sneed was in the corpse's grasp and his neck was snapped like a chicken's. As soon as the man was dead another Gelth zoomed into his body's mouth and began to take control of the dead body. Sneed looked up at the living people with dead eyes that made them shake with fear.  
This is what it was! This is what Rose's instincts had been telling her. It wasn't just morally wrong it was unwise for them to have trusted the Gelth. She knew for certain now that if the Doctor had not come to save her when he had, they would have snapped her neck just like Mister Sneed and she would have been among their ranks. They had been out for blood from the start. Why wait for people to die of natural causes when you could kill them and take over their bodies in literally just a snap? The Gelth in their new bodies now had the Doctor, Dickens and Rose surrounded and the Doctor very sheepishly declared,  
"I think it's gone a little bit wrong."  
"You think?!" retorted Rose barely able to squeak it out for lack of breath. She was so terrified that the effort from trying to breathe normally was making her dizzy. And as if the two were not scared enough the Sneed Gelth body shouted,  
"I have joined the legions of the Gelth. Come, march with us." Dickens screeched his terror and fearfully backed up avoiding the corpses and heading for the door and escape. Rose and the Doctor however were not as lucky and were finding themselves being backed against the gated wall towards the back of the chamber.  
"We need bodies. All of you. Dead. The human race. Dead." Thundered the Gelth in grim satisfaction. The Doctor was very aware that he was no longer in control of the situation and desperately cried out to Gwyneth to stop what she was doing and send the Gelth back, but it was clear that she was not hearing him as all she said in reply was the mimicked orders of the lead Gelth to kill The Doctor and his two other remaining companions. No getting around it they were slated for death so that the Gelth could walk about in their corpses. The Gelth corpses were now right on top of the Time Lord and his bride and in a last effort to find sanctuary the Doctor pushed Rose into the tiny gated chamber before slamming the gate shut in front of them. Wanting to put as much distance between themselves and the corpses, Rose and the Doctor pressed themselves flush against the wall, as cold dead hands tried to reach through the bars for them.

"Doctor, I can't. I'm sorry. This new world of yours is too much for me. I'm so…" Shouted Dickens to his friends, but he was not able to finish his sentence as he ran from the room to save his own life.  
"Give yourself to glory. Sacrifice your lives for the Gelth." Demanded the Gelth of their prey stubbornly just out of reach behind metal. The Doctor was scared and upset for what was to come and with a rumbling voice shouted to the aliens,  
"I trusted you. I pitied you!" But the Gelth had no sympathy for The Doctor all they cared for was conquest.  
"We don't want your pity. We want this world and all its flesh." Full of righteous fury and indignation at the abuse of his trust and sympathies he hissed,  
"Not while I'm alive." And with words that chilled every cell in the time travelers' bodies they hissed,  
"Then live no more."

 

Rose and the Doctor continued to push themselves and twisted against the cold stony wall of the chamber trying desperately to hold onto their lives. Rose couldn't believe the situation she was in. It was impossible that she was being threatened by alien zombies that, as soon as they broke down that gate, would kill them and steal their corpses for the Gelth's evil mission of spreading death. Bad enough that she was going to die, but how could she die in the past? Clinging to the hope that they would somehow get out of this alive and not understanding how they could do otherwise, Rose in a panicked voiced asked the Doctor,  
"But I can't die. Tell me I can't. I haven't even been born yet. It's impossible for me to die. Isn't it?" The Doctor looked into Rose's pleading eyes and saw the fear and desperation behind them. He gave her a look of pity for the reality she was about to face and whole heartedly apologized to her. Rose still in denial that this was the end tried to reason her way out of a sure death and asked the Doctor,  
"But it's 1869. How can I die now?" She didn't understand and the Doctor in their last moment's owed her that much of an explanation and explained in a grim but sympathetic voice,  
"Time isn't a straight line. It can twist into any shape. You can be born in the twentieth century and die in the nineteenth and it's all my fault. I brought you here." Rose wouldn't have him blaming himself for this. Sure they were technically still married, but that didn't mean that she was tethered to him. She didn't have to come with him when he finally asked for her to join him. She let out a sigh and looking forward at the enemy and feeling braver and more resolute than she might have been, said to the Doctor,  
"It's not your fault. I wanted to come." The Doctor couldn't believe that this was the end for him either. He was the big impressive Time Lord who had seen it all. Never did he think it would end this way, he told Rose of how he had seen Troy fall, World War five and had even thrown boxes at the Boston Tea Party. All of these accomplishments and traveling, but now…

"Now I'm going to die in a dungeon… in Cardiff." Said the Doctor in disbelief. The last bit of his sentence lingering on his mouth like a bad taste. Oh if only dying were all they faced in their final moments.  
"It's not just dying. We'll become one of them." Stated Rose as a terrible fact. The two looked at each other now. When one faced death, suddenly things that once seemed to be such great obstacles or barriers were tiny or none existent. The Doctor lost himself in Rose's eyes and being married to her seemed like the most wonderful gift he had ever stumbled on. And what a gift he had squandered, he had wasted so much time and now there was none left. Memories of his time with her as John flashed in his mind and they were wonderful pieces of heaven to gaze on. He did not deserve her, even he felt that way as John, but in their last moments every part of him, not just the John part tucked away, wanted to pull her into his arms and never let go. He was overtaken with the unbridled urgency to kiss her senseless and even started to move towards her to initiate said kiss.   
However, before he could act first Rose pumped up on fear, adrenaline and the primitive urge to claim her mate that she had been denied for far too long, lunged at the Doctor and claimed his lips. Still mindful of the danger of moving closer to the gate she plastered herself up against him and she remained out of reach of zombie hands.

The kiss was fiery, possessive and held all the passion to be expected from a dying woman towards her lover. Rose wanted the universe as her witness that he was hers, even if he never had brought himself to admit the same to her, she wanted him to know where she stood as far as her love for him went. The Doctor was so shocked by the nature of the kiss and its suddenness that he unfortunately was not able to act on it until it was almost over. It was amazing to the Doctor just how much she was saying to him with just a kiss, it was almost as good as if she were telepathic. This was a woman who without a doubt loved him absolutely, unashamedly, unreservedly, and to be honest it almost frightened him that someone, who in all honesty didn't know him at all, could feel that way towards him. If it were any other situation he probably would have had some cynical remark about not really knowing him or anything to brush off these feelings. But with his death near and it being so wonderful, warm and inviting a feeling, he silenced his brain and sought to live in this moment with his technically-still-his-wife. No sooner had he started to respond to the kiss and enjoy the bliss of her lips, he was robbed of his last bit of heaven. Rose pulled away from him with lightning fast reflexes and hugged her back to the wall again. Safe against the wall she gripped The Doctor's right hand with her left. Feeling empowered by her actions she announced to the Doctor,  
"We'll go down fighting, yeah? Together?" The Doctor answered the affirmative, and squeezed his brave Rose's hand. She squeezed back and rubbed her thumb against his hand. If it had to end like this, then this was the way she wanted to end it, always holding his hand. She'd hold on until the dark veil of their quick and probably painful deaths spread over them. She would fulfill her vows to him, until death do us part, though grimly she wondered if that would extent to undead too, which they were soon to be. Despite the gravity of the situation, a feeling of peace now fell over the Doctor and he again looked deep into Rose's eyes and said in the most profound earnest,

"I'm so glad I met you." Rose felt a relief that she had not felt in days, he did not regret crossing paths with her even though complications came with it. She couldn't hug or touch him anymore. The zombies were breaking some unfeeling bones to reach further past the bars of the gate and any movement away from the wall risked both of them getting grabbed. The kiss before had been risky enough, but her words could still touch him.  
"Me too. I'm happy I met you. For better or for worse, Doctor."  
"For better or for worse. I just wish that worse were under better circumstances right now." Stated the Doctor as he dodged yet another undead grabby hand.  
"You and me both." Retorted Rose as she squeezed his hand again. Having reluctantly accepted a fate worse than death, the two lovers were very surprised by the return of Charles Dickens, who they thought had fled the building and abandoned them.

"Doctor! Doctor! Turn off the flame, turn up the gas! Now, fill the room, all of it, now!" Shouted the writer as he turned the knobs to the unlit gas lamps in the room. The Doctor couldn't believe his eyes. Had the man gone mad? Not only had he come back to his certain doom, he was trying to fill the room up with natural gas.  
"What're you doing?" He asked, his large Time Lord brain not making the connection yet. Dickens, excited declared that they need to flood the place with gas and the Doctor finally got the idea and manically declared the writer's brilliant idea.  
"What, so we choke to death instead? " Asked Rose perplexed and wondering if these two men had gone nutty.  
"Am I correct, Doctor? These creatures are gaseous." Questioned Dickens as he covered his mouth with a rag to help filter the air going to his lungs.  
"Fill the room with gas, it'll draw them out of the host. Suck them into the air like poison from a wound!" trumpeted the Doctor. Realizing that Dickens was both a threat and a potential new host for the Gelth, they began to lumber towards him. Dickens now remembering the dangerous reason he had fled this chamber in the first place expressed a very intense desire for his theory to be proven accurate before he was overtaken by the dead. The Doctor seeing that his friend was in danger and that the plan although brilliant might not be working fast enough, declared that there was plenty more gas and ripped the main gas line from the wall. As Dickens suspected this action promptly removed the Gelth from their stolen bodies and the poor dead humans collapsed to the floor once more still as the dead should be. Dickens threw his hands up in celebration and the Doctor and Rose safely emerged from behind the gate. The Doctor skipped the few feet to Gwyneth and pleaded,  
"Gwyneth, send them back. They lied. They're not angels." This seemed to snap the girl slightly out of her daze and questioned,  
"Liars?" She couldn't believe it.  
"Look at me. If your mother and father could look down and see this, they'd tell you the same. They'd give you the strength. Now send them back!" Announced the Doctor to the pale looking girl. The Doctor did not think she looked well at all. Rose staggered from breathing in the foul and toxic air and coughed,  
"I can't breathe." Eyes still focused on Gwyneth, the Doctor instructed Dickens to get Rose out of there, and Charles grabbed onto Rose's arm and tried to lead her out. Rose would not have this and stepped back effectively pulling herself free from the man and shouted,  
"I'm not leaving her or you, Doctor!" Gwyneth wanted to help her new friends but she felt that the Gelth were too strong for her to stop anymore and relayed this to the Doctor. The Doctor knew the girl had the strength to stop the Gelth, she just needed encouragement and an incentive to push harder.  
"Remember that world you saw? Rose's world? All those people. None of it will exist unless you send them back through the rift." The Doctor begged the girl. They were up against the wall metaphorically this time and if Gwyneth couldn't do something then this timeline and humanity was doomed. With serious eyes full of purpose the girl reached into her pocket,  
"I can't send them back. But I can hold them. Hold them in this place, hold them here. Get out." Ordered Gwyneth as she pulled the box of matches she always carried out of her pocket. Rose was horrified at what the girl was implying and begged her not to go through with it, there had to be another way. Gwyneth however was set on her decision and once more ordered the three people to leave. Rose tried to reach the girl she had grown fond of to take away the matches but the Doctor grabbed Rose by her shoulders and held her back.  
"Rose, get out. Go now. I won't leave her while she's still in danger. And I'll be fine. Now go!" Demanded the Doctor shaking Rose shoulders a bit to not only grab her attention but to make her see reason. Rose reluctantly agreed to leave. She trusted the Doctor and that trust was the only thing that let her leave Gwyneth. Rose and Dickens raced up the staircase to the exit of the house and fresh air. Rose just prayed that both the Doctor and Gwyneth would be safe.  
The servant girl held the box of matches and the Doctor got nervous for Gwyneth, he had lived for much longer and he had the most likely chance of surviving a gas explosion.  
"Come on, leave, give that to me." Begged the Doctor as he tried to take the match box, and that was when he noticed that Gwyneth was not moving or acting like a living person at all. And she was becoming paler too. He reached for her neck to feel a pulse and much to his hearts' ache there was none. She was dead and getting colder than the human's normal body temperature of 98.6 degrees. The Doctor knew now that even if he were able to take him with her, he could not save her. He kissed the poor girl's forehead she had given so much and asked for nothing in return, and would now give even more.

 

"Thank you." Said the Doctor solemnly and he ran for the door to escape the inferno to come. The Doctor raced down the hallways of the funeral parlor, he didn't know how much time he had left before Gwyneth's corpse would somehow light the match. Finally reaching the front door that was left open he leaped into the air and cleared the door just as the house behind him erupted into a gaseous explosion. The Doctor went flying across the street and landed face first into the thin layer of snow on the ground. Fiery debris was all about and some landed on the Doctor setting a small part of his jacket unknowingly on fire. Rose seeing where he landed rushed over to him and threw snow on top of his jacket all the while shouting for him to roll around and put out the flames. Finally flame free the Doctor looked up to Rose guiltily, who questioningly looked at the Doctor and asked,  
"She didn't make it." The Doctor felt horrible for letting not only Gwyneth down but also his promise to not leave Gwyneth while she was in danger. But if she were already dead she wasn't in danger anymore, that had passed and he was too late to help.  
"I'm sorry. She closed the rift." Answered the Doctor sadly. Dickens looked over to the burning building and his heart sank.  
"At such a cost. The poor child." Mourned the writer. Rose just stared at the Doctor in disbelief that he would not only leave a girl to die, but lie to her that he would not. Rose had trusted him? The Doctor was hurt by Rose's accusatory stare and he needed her to understand that she had the idea all wrong. He couldn't stand her looking at him like that or even the ideas that his imagination was thinking up in his head of what she was thinking about him. And in a pleading voice he explained to Rose,  
"I did try, Rose, but Gwyneth was already dead. She had been for at least five minutes." That didn't make any sense to Rose and she asked the Doctor what he meant.  
"I think she was dead from the minute she stood in that arch." Explained the Doctor as if he was on trial and his wife was his judge, jury and executioner. That was impossible what the Doctor was saying thought Rose it didn't make sense, but at the same time her instincts knew the Doctor wasn't lying to her. That didn't make it any less unbelievable though.  
"But she can't have. She spoke to us. She helped us. She saved us. How could she have done that?"  
"There are more things in Heaven and Earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy. Even for you, Doctor." Stated the writer sadly to his two companions. They didn't know how she did it, but somehow Gwyneth had helped them even in death.  
"She saved the world. A servant girl. No one will ever know." Stated Rose grimly as she watched the house continue to burn. She was grateful to the girl but saddened by the loss of her life which was a waste. She, like so many others, would be yet another unsung hero. Cut down before her time. Pausing for a bit longer on the flaming house, the Doctor, Rose, and Dickens then began to walk away down the snowy streets of Cardiff.

 

Fresh snow began to fall from the sky around the TARDIS. The lantern on top and the blue box glowed with the same warm and inviting yellow-orange as the 'Police public call box' sign below it. But it was only a comfort to those who knew it was there and why. To Dickens it was just an oddly designed and colored shed. Nothing special or of any great importance. The Doctor was very much looking forward to spending some time talking with his favorite writer without the threat of danger or kidnappers over his head. He just needed to slip into the TARDIS and grab every copy of Charles Dickens's books that he had on the TARDIS so that he could get them signed.  
"Right then, Charlie boy, I've just got to go into my, er, shed. Won't be long." Explained the Doctor, not wanting to get too involved in explanations about his 'shed' with the adventure now over. He just wanted what he felt was his deserved time to fan-boy with Dickens undisturbed. Rose finally having the time to appreciate the fact that she was conversing with the famous Charles Dickens, an honor and privilege that she was certain every English literature teacher she ever had would have fought each other tooth and nail for, decided that now was as good a time as any to chat with him while the Doctor did whatever it was he did. Maybe it wasn't late enough for them to all get a cuppa, it would certainly be an upper at this point. She also had to admit that she was interested in continuing to watch the Doctor and Mister Dickens play off each other. So in a very interested and hopeful voice she asked Dickens,  
"What are you going to do now?" In a loud and jovial voice, that could rival Father Christmas, Charles announced,  
"I shall take the mail coach back to London, quite literally post-haste. This is no time for me to be on my own. I shall spend Christmas with my family and make amends to them. After all I've learned tonight, there can be nothing more vital." 'Darn it,' thought the Doctor. That meant that any chance of getting an autograph was out of the question if Dickens wanted to get back to London on time. Old Charlie would have to leave immediately for any chance of his plan to spend Christmas with his family to work. Though spending time with your family was indeed the best thing to do on Christmas, thought the Doctor. And for some reason he couldn't help but rest his eyes on the blonde woman next to him, wearing a gold band on her left ring finger. The Doctor, realizing he was staring at Rose, focused his attentions back on Dickens and declared that the writer had seemed to have cheer up quite a bit from how he was at the beginning of the night.

 

Dickens was a man transformed. Thanks to his serendipitous meeting with the Doctor the world was fresh and new to him again. He was so excited he didn't know what to do with himself, he was happy as an angel and as merry as a school boy. He spoke of his wonderment with this huge new world that had been tonight revealed to him and how inspired he was because of it. He thought that he knew everything and realized that he only was just beginning to learn anything.  
"All these huge and wonderful notions, Doctor. I'm inspired. I must write about them." Sang Dickens to the Doctor and Rose. He was abuzz with the energy of a man easily the same age as Rose. Rose started to panic a little, she was worried that they might had changed history and if they did then what would that do specifically to her future. She was sure that she never heard of such a story by Dickens even with her limited knowledge of his works beyond 'A Christmas Carol'. So cautiously she asked the writer in hope to preserve her timeline.  
"Do you think that's wise?" Dickens assumed that Rose was concerned about the panic or scrutiny that such a subject could create. There was no way possible for him to realized Rose's real fear of messing up history. To alleviate her fears, the author explained to the girl,  
"I shall be subtle at first. The Mystery of Edwin Drood still lacks an ending. Perhaps the killer was not the boy's uncle. Perhaps he was not of this Earth. The Mystery of Edwin Drood and the Blue Elementals. I can spread the word, tell the truth."  
"Good luck with it. Nice to meet you. Fantastic." Said the Doctor brushing off what the writer had said as if it were nothing to worry about or as if he didn't wish to dwell on the thought too long. The Time Lord seemed itching to leave and Rose wondered if the Doctor was at all concerned with changing the history of English literature.  
"Bye, then, and thanks for saving us." Smiled Rose and in complete gratitude shook the man's hand firmly and kissed him on the cheek for good measure. If it wasn't for Dickens then they would be worse than dead. Rose wouldn't have the prospect of spending her future with the Doctor, because she wouldn't have had one if not for this ingenious Victorian man. Dickens clearly enjoyed the kiss but seemed surprised at receiving it at all. It was a very new aged thing to him, a kiss on the hand might have been expected but not on the cheek. The Doctor also seemed to be fine with the display of thanks, so perhaps that was where her forward thinking could be attributed to, at least according to his Victorian mind. And she was indeed a lovely woman and if that sweet kiss on his cheek were any hint to her tenderness than the Doctor was indeed the luckiest man ever married to find a wife such as Rose. Flustered and beet red the writer declared,  
"Oh, my dear. How modern. Doctor, if I might be so bold, you certainly chose quite the rare and lovely creature to be your bride."  
"What? ..." Asked Rose confused as she turned her eyes to find the Doctor's. Had he really told Charles Dickens that she was his wife? Even if it were just for appearances, the possibility made her giddy with hope and excitement. He could have always just introduced her as a friend or… ward, which probably would have been an equally acceptable and believable relationship between the two of them in this time. The Doctor however much to her disappointment, merely straightened up awkwardly and cleared his voice sheepishly,  
"As I said Charlie boy, places to go." Rose thought she saw the Doctor's big ears turn pink but it could have been the cold for all she knew. The Doctor began to walk in the direction of the blue box, but Dickens, confused stopped him and asked,  
"Thank you, but, I don't understand. In what way is this goodbye? Where are you going?" Surely the Doctor didn't think that going inside a shed on a cold street was where they would part ways. How long did he plan to spend in that shed? He said he'd only be a minute. The Doctor just elusively implied to the shed and that he would see what he meant in a moment, after the Doctor went into the shed.

"Upon my soul, Doctor, it's one riddle after another with you. But after all these revelations, there's one mystery you still haven't explained. Answer me this. Who are you?" This was the question that he was hoping to avoid, he didn't have time to give a long explanation that the man although brilliant would most likely still have trouble believing even after all he saw tonight.  
"Just a friend passing through." Was all the information that the Doctor would give the writer on that subject. Dickens could accept that the man would remain elusive in revealing his identity, but he seemed to know a great many of things as if he'd already seen it all happen before. Perhaps such a knowledgeable man could answer him the one question that all writers, no matter how famous, had always wanted to ask the winds of time.  
"But you have such knowledge of future times. I don't wish to impose on you, but I must ask you. My books. Doctor, do they last?" The Doctor smiled his manic grin and answered quite happily in the affirmative. And almost afraid for the answer but still desperate to know, he inquired as to how long his books might last? This answer the Doctor was even happier to convey and smiled,  
"Forever. Right. Shed. Come on, Rose." The Doctor opened the door to the 'shed' and began to ferry his companion inside. Dickens looking a bit humorously scandalized at the implication of the two alone in a tiny shed declared,  
"In the box? Both of you? I understand that you two have been through a lot tonight, but surely there are warmer places for the two of you to happily reunite properly?"  
"Down boy. See you." Snipped the Doctor still with a bit of humor in his voice as he and a blushing Rose disappeared into the TARDIS. Before Rose could see his flushed cheeks the   
Doctor rushed over to the Console to set the controls for the time vortex. Although the Doctor had seemed unconcerned to Rose on the subject of changing literature, she had to be one hundred percent certain that she had nothing to worry about as far as her time she was returning to was concerned.

"Doesn't that change history if he writes about blue ghosts?" Asked Rose with concern etched on her face. The Doctor looked into the monitor on the console which revealed a video feed of a man standing outside the TARDIS in waiting in confusion. This man was Charles Dickens. The Doctor looked knowingly and a bit sad at the image of the man and declared to a concerned Rose,  
"In a week's time it's 1870, and that's the year he dies. Sorry. He'll never get to tell his story." Rose looked upset and disappointed for the writer, who now discovering a zest for life again would be too soon taken from it.  
"Oh, no. He was so nice." The Doctor had to alleviate Rose's melancholy. The Doctor didn't want his companion to be sad at the knowledge of a friend's soon coming death, not on Christmas. And it was indeed Christmas in 1869 again after all.  
"But in your time, he was already dead. We've brought him back to life, and he's more alive now than he's ever been, old Charlie boy. Let's give him one last surprise." Grinned the Doctor with a smile and energy that instantly pepped up Rose and eliminated the somber mood that had fallen over her.

 

The Tardis grinded and sang as it dematerializes in front of writer's eyes and he laughed in amazement of the 'antics' of his two amazing friends. Whoever they were they were extraordinary people and he wished them nothing but the best, and walked away. He never felt happier to be alive. He was reborn like Scrooge after being visited by the spirits and as a man wished him a Merry Christmas on the streets, he crowed back,  
"Merry Christmas to you. God bless us, every one!"

 

Rose had sat on the jump seat to take a breath. With her flushed cheeks and slightly rumpled dress she was a vision of loveliness in the Doctor's TARDIS. Now that they were safely in the vortex, the Doctor took this moment to sit next to Rose, he had something he had to say to her and he wanted to be at eye level and equal footing with her.  
"Look Rose, I'm sorry. You were suspicious from the start and we shouldn't have let Gwyneth step under that arch. And I was undermining your opinion for no other reason than my superior knowledge and biology over yours." Rose let out a huff and replied a bit miffed,  
"Well I guess that's an apology…" she then remembered the more serious part of this conversation and went to comfort the Doctor.  
"Gwyneth would have done it even if we tried to stop her. We all have to make our own choices, Doctor. And there will always be bad people out there who will take advantage of others' trust and kindness, even Time Lords' trust and kindness. You wanted to help those in need and I respect that, and I'm glad that you trust people. I just wish you would trust me a little like I trust you." Said Rose in Earnest.  
"I do trust you Rose, you have already saved my life and that makes you worthy of trust to me. I will try harder so you can see that I trust you." Explained the Doctor, Rose looked into his eyes and smiled lovingly up at him. That was the first step, that was what she wanted, trust. She had his trust and he had hers. She felt overjoyed at the thought and she hadn't forgotten her promise to reward him for saving her from zombies earlier in that chapel. The remaining adrenaline in her system made her bolder and she figured that she could try for another kiss on the lips. But her gaze was causing the Doctor's ears to start to tint pink. Realizing this, the Doctor stood up quickly from the Jump seat, breaking the spell between the two of them and began to busy himself about the console. That had been very domestic and he had had met his quota for domestics today. Though the Time Lord probably wouldn't have yet admitted that if he had stay sitting there, he might have been the one to unknowingly claim the reward Rose was fixing to give him. Rose let out a sigh, and decided that that was her signal to go off to her technically-theirs-but-now-hers bedroom. She was feeling really drained and a bit dizzy from the adventure and a few hours of sleep would do her good. And expecting the Doctor, even after their near death experience, to want to spend time with her at least lying in the same bed with her was a bit too much to expect. He had let her kiss him as a last wish and that was enough for now.

 

"See you later, Doctor, you know where I'll be if you need me." Stated Rose as she got up to leave, the Doctor waved his hand to Rose from behind the console and replied,  
"And I'll be right here if you need to find me. By the time you're done with your human nap I should have the plasma coils hooked up and in sync with the time rotor. Sound a bit off, don't they? Well maybe you could hear it a little if you had the hearing of an earth kangaroo instead of a human. Funny critters kangaroos, big old ears that by coincidence are perfectly evolved for hearing plasma coil rotations, what are the odds, yeah?" Rose just laughed at him,  
"Well with ears as big as yours, I imagine you don't miss much sounds anyway."  
"Oi, rude. And I was going to say you hear pretty well for a…" The Doctor stopped himself, again he was belittling Rose based on her species, he didn't want to keep doing that. He didn't want to keep reminding Rose of the distinctions between their species. The Time Lord fished his mind for compliments to give Rose that he wouldn't turn into back handed ones, but Rose cut in before he could pick the right one.  
"For a human. Yeah I know, good night, Doctor." Rose smiled weakly and left the console room. It was so funny to the Doctor, he had spent centuries around these humans and thought he knew everything about them, but this one little pink and yellow human had him stumped. Maybe one day he would figure her out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: This was a super long chapter gang, and I hope it satisfied your Rose Doctor fix for the moment. The Doctor will have to face the wrath of his mother-in-law next in chapter 22, Aliens of London. In the next coming chapter, it is okay if you want to light a match.


	22. Chapter 22 - Aliens of London

Complicated 

by the Plot Thinens

Aliens of London –Chapter 22

Rose woke up once more on the TARDIS. Although she had gotten nine hours of sleep this time instead of the designated eight, she did not feel rested. Her head was still aching and her mouth was dry as a bone. She figured that nearly being strangled on natural gas probably had not done a good thing for her brain or her lungs. She felt it was very nice of the TARDIS to let her ‘sleep in,’ but the Doctor she reasoned would be getting antsy having to wait for her much longer. Feeling very out of it she bypassed her morning routine and opted to go to the kitchen first. She needed a glass of water and an aspirin very desperately. Rolling out of bed and clasping at her pounding head she made her way to the door to the ‘hallway’. She was still wearing, as pajamas, a pair of the Doctor’s shorts and undershirt or her ‘nighties’ as she had jokingly started calling them last night to herself. The TARDIS still didn’t see fit to give her any actual bed wear yet, but as she was crawling out of bed she did notice that, at the foot of the bed this morning, her clothing she first arrived in were freshly laundered. She’d put those on later after her kitchen run.

The Doctor had sat at the breakfast table in the TARDIS’s kitchen for a half hour now watching the port entrance to the kitchen. Annoyed he tapped his finger on the table with one hand while eating a slice of toasted banana bread with the other. Rose was late. He had timed specifically the amount of sleep that she needed for optimum human functionality and that was ten minutes ago, if you had to push it. He was frustrated with how now it seemed like he couldn’t start his ‘day’ without first seeing her. When had that happened? He’d only known her as the Doctor for a few days now, was he experiencing a sort of ‘phantom limb’ effect from his days spent as John? Wasn’t the TARDIS supposed to wake her up? The human woman had to be being stubborn about wakeup call today. He’d even made her breakfast, well by breakfast he meant he had not burnt the stack of toast currently cooling on the table and getting cooler by the minute. And he put out the butter, marmalade and a few other spreads too. That was bordering domestic as it was and he refused to ever be a domesticated Time Lord. He took a swig of banana strawberry milk and then got up from the table in a huff. It was just as well, he was being too domestic as it was. If Rose was going to sleep in then he wasn’t going to wait around, there was work to be done on his TARDIS after all.

Rose groggily walked down the corridor that she knew led to the kitchen, but this time much to her surprise, it bypassed the kitchen completely and emptied out at the console room. She had literally rolled out of bed, she didn’t want to prance about in the console room, and she had a damn headache and just wanted some water, what was the TARDIS playing at? What Rose didn’t notice was that the Doctor was actually right below her under the grating of the TARDIS. He had been cleaning a filter in what appeared to be some kind of fluid line, when the vibrations of the metal above him grabbed his attention. Looking up he was quite surprisingly given a perfect view of Rose. Perfect meaning it was a completely unobstructed view of Rose in his shorts and loose undershirt. At this angle he saw right up the two before mentioned articles of clothing and Rose was not wearing anything else underneath them. It was perfectly understandable, she came with literally the clothes on her back and the Doctor didn’t know if the TARDIS had given her anything else to wear besides period clothing and what was in his drawers. But logical thinking did not win out and the surprise made him off balance. The Doctor slipped on a cable and landed hard on the tubes below smearing himself in green-colored fluid causing him to swear loudly. Rose, alerted to the noise, looked down to see the Doctor on his back in what appeared to be pain.

 

“Doctor, are you alright?” She asked with concern while kneeling down for a closer look. Now that The Doctor’s pride was hurt and he was laying in muck on his back, he didn’t want to add to his misfortunes and seriously hoped that Rose had not realized that his accidental peeping Tom activities were to blame for his current state. Raising his head up off the floor he simply replied,

“Fine, fine, coming up.” He got up and walked to the little door in the grating that would allow him to go up to Rose’s level, all the while trying to focus on not hitting his head. Looking up at Rose, who was following him from above, gave him yet another accidental perfect view. Finding himself distracted again, he hit his head before coming up. ‘Fine morning this was’ he thought as he clutched his head in pain. Rose having forgotten her pain for the moment focused on the Doctor’s. John had always been a complete baby when it came to pain, she wondered if the Doctor was the same. Rose kneeled down next to the Doctor and examined the growing bump on his head. The Doctor having known in the past the devastating effects of head injuries, began to assess the damage too.

“Oi, that hurts!” complained the Doctor as Rose tested the sensitivity of the bump all the while not trying to get too close because he was covered in some strange green liquid. She also knew he had issues about personal space and him pulling away wouldn’t help her assess the damage any better.

“Don’t be such a baby.” she chided to her technically-still-her-husband. Rose had gotten many scratches and bumps growing up and her mother had always been able to make her feel better with her ‘healing arts’ which Rose now mimicked. Having without a doubt located the sore spot she gently blew on it and then told the Doctor,

“It doesn’t look so bad, here let me kiss it and make it feel better.” She said without thinking and acted as such, but not before the Doctor said in a gruff voice,

“Oi, like that’s really going to work.” However, no sooner did he say that and Rose’s lips had made contact with the bump, to his amazement it did feel better. Much better, he stared at her astonished, something about the calming way she had paid attention to him and spoken had relaxed him enough for his blood pressure to go down, which seemed to help lower the swelling of blood to the bumped area. She didn’t really ‘kiss it and made it feel better,’ but the human manner of addressing what was probably a most upsetting situation had allowed his body to go back to the pre-shocked state and the pain in his head was just a dull ache now that he had calmed down. His superior biology had probably helped too, but he admired Rose’s bedside manner or mothering nature he guessed. ‘She wouldn’t make a half shabby mother.’ Thought the Doctor. Of course now that he had his wits about him and realized the implications that he could possibly be implying with his accidental line of thoughts, even if it were at all possible, he blushed and got up to his feet. Rose was surprised by the quick movement and got up along with him as steady as she could, but now that she wasn’t in rescue mode she began to remember how dizzy and in pain her head was. Perhaps she should carry a gas mask with her at all times now, maybe the Doctor, as an alien, didn’t feel the same effect from air poisoning as her human body did since he appeared fine. She felt very sorry if Mister Dickens were feeling the same way right now…then…whenever.

“Come on Doctor, I have a headache and you a bump, yeah? Anywhere on the TARDIS can we find a bottle of Aspirin?” She asked innocently. The Doctor’s face paled,

“Nope, no Aspirin anywhere on this ship, never aspirin. If you want anything else in the universe we have it but not that stuff.” Piped up the Doctor. Rose was confused by his obvious dislike for the pain killer and asked,

“Why is that?” The Doctor looked at Rose and a twinge in the back of his head told him not to ever give a weakness out to anyone. But the Doctor was trying to prove to Rose that he trusted her and well maybe one item in the list of thousands of ways to kill him wasn’t too bad of a secret. So with a deep breath he replied,

“Rose, Time Lords are allergic to Aspirin. It might as well be Time Lord cyanide.” Rose gasped in horror, and amended her suggestion immediately.

“Right, let’s find something else then.” She corrected. The Two then made their way to the kitchen for a glass of water, some pain relievers, oh and Rose’s breakfast.

“You know, Doctor, you could also do with a bath afterwards that stuff on your shirt smells.” Laughed Rose as they entered the port to the kitchen. The Doctor merely grumbled that he could just sonic it clean and the ‘day’ was started for the Doctor and Rose. 

The TARDIS materialized in a corner near one of the buildings that made up the Powell estate. Rose was the first to pop out of the TARDIS followed by, although a bit reluctantly, the Doctor. This was not one of his most favorite places in all of Time and Space, but Rose had insisted upon wanting to see her mother. How domestic they were being, making trips to her mother’s house. Next they’d be using the TARDIS for popping by the market for eggs and milk if this kept up. Rose slowly twirled around to re-familiarize herself with the space she was in and that they were in the right place. The Doctor had already proven that he could get the place wrong but everything to a casual glance appeared to be in order from the last time she was there. She smiled and turned to the Doctor who was leaning against the doors of the TARDIS.

“How long have I been gone?” she asked her technically-still-her-husband.

“Well we’ve been gone about 48 hours, but to your dear old Mum you’ve only been gone about twelve.” Declared the Doctor a bit proud of his driving. Rose smiled again, the concept still unbelievable to her.

“Oh. Right, perfect. I won't be long. I just want to see my mum.” Rose replied starting to take off. Her jog however was stopped by the Doctor asking her a question.

“What're you going to tell her?” he asked a bit concerned. Still walking away but backwards to face him she laughed,

“I don't know. I've been to the year 5 billion and only been gone, what, 12 hours? No, I'll just tell her I spent the night playing nurse-maid to you after breaking her coffee table. Which by the way we still have to replace.” Then she took a more serious tone and raised her voice as she was now getting a good distance away.

“If that TARDIS can provide anything then bring a new one up for her, yeah? See you later. Oh, don't you disappear.” Declared Rose as she walked off but her sentence did end with a little insecurity. They had been through a lot together and had seemed to have reconciled as trusted friends for the most part. But in truth she still wasn’t 100 percent confident that the Doctor wouldn’t just leave her behind if he lost interest. After all he had all of time and space to offer, she didn’t have anything as impressive as that to offer in return. The Doctor smiled as he watched her disappear up a stairwell to her mother’s flat and began to walk about the pavement already impatiently pacing. In search of anything less boring to do then stare at the pavement he looked to a brick wall across the way covered in flyers. It was then that his very keen Time Lord eyes locked in on a picture of Rose on a piece of old weather worn paper. He pulled it off the wall and on closer inspection he read the words, ‘Police Appeal for Assistance. Can You Help?’

Rose took in the familiar smell of her mother’s flat as she opened the door, the smell of tea and hair products that her mother used as a hairdresser working out of her home. It was amazing how smells that you took as granted became so pronounced when you were away for a bit. She couldn’t wait to give her mother a great big hug. She didn’t yet know how much or how little she would tell her mother of her trip, without proof at least, but right now all she cared about was that hug. She knew her mother had been fine after the Auton attack, but this was her first time seeing her after it. The emotion of her mother having been in danger was still a bit raw. With joy in her voice announced to the flat,

“I'm back! Are you in? Sorry about leaving you alone last night and about the table Mum. We got you a new one. John picked it out so when he brings it up you better like it. So, what's been going on?” That’s when Rose’s mood changed, having made eye contact with her mother. Rose saw that Jackie was staring at her in shock and had appeared to be struck dumb and mute and was just standing there looking more worn out then ever in her pink bathrobe. Nervous, Rose looked to start a conversation,

“ How've you been? What? What's that face for? It's not the first time I’ve had to cancel dinner or broke something.” Smiled Rose anxiously. Jackie dropped her mug of tea on the floor not seeming to care that it was her favorite mug and it smashed into pieces.  
‘Crap’ thought the Doctor’ as he saw the date on the paper. The poster’s print read ‘Rose Tyler has been missing from home since 6th March 2005 last seen on the Powell Estate.’ Having finished reading he then quickly ran for the stairwell Rose had gone up and raced up it. He had major damage control to sort out.

“It's you.” Stated Jackie as if she didn’t believe her own words or her own eyes. Rose looked back at her mother nervous and replied,

“Of course it's me.” 

“Oh, my God. It's you. Oh my God.” Cried out Jackie in disbelief and Jackie threw herself into Rose’s arms as if she might die if she didn’t. Rose could clearly see that her mother was upset and that made Rose very upset too. As her mother clung to her she couldn’t help but notice the disarray the apartment was in from the last she had been in it, which she thought had only been twelve hours. All about the flat were various flyers and posters to aid in helping find a missing person. That missing person, much to her shock, was Rose Tyler Smith! Rose felt she might fall over as she came to the realization that she most certainly had been gone longer than twelve hours. And as if to validate her suspicions that was when the Doctor decided to come barreling in with bad news.

 

“It's not twelve hours, it's twelve months. You've been gone a whole year. Sorry.” The Doctor said meekly to Rose and Jackie, what else could he say? And Rose was floored.   
It wasn’t long before Jackie’s relief and astonishment gave way to all out fury and indignation of Rose and John’s return. Naturally when Rose and her husband could not provide any explanation to their disappearing for a year, other than that they were traveling, Jackie took action and called the police. That was when the Doctor found himself sitting in the Tyler flat with a policeman asking him and Rose personal questions. The domestics never ended with these humans, but for the sake of not getting thrown into a primitive earth jail and having to possibly answer more troubling questions, he stood there and took it. Jackie was passing up and down the flat fuming at Rose as she hunkered down into an arm chair, taking her mother’s verbal assault. Although she didn’t mean to do this to her mother, she knew that she deserved it and retreated further into the chair.

“The hours I've sat here, days and weeks and months, all on my own. I thought you were dead, and where were you? Travelling. What the hell does that mean, travelling? That's no sort of answer.” Bellowed Jackie, she then turned her attention to the cop and demanded,

“You ask her. She won't tell me. That's all she says. Travelling.” Rose was in a bind, she couldn’t give details as to where she was. No one would believe her. All she could do was tell what part of the truth she could so she didn’t get put into a white 'hug-me' jacket.

“That's what I was doing.” Rose explained but she was more like pleading for Jackie to accept that information and drop it.

“When your passport's still in the drawer? You never picked it up when you moved out! And I checked at the university, old big ears here just stopped coming to work! No sabbatical, nothing, you don’t just swan off in the middle of the term when you’re in teaching! And when I tried to dig up information on em there was nothing to find beyond what was filed at the university. I didn’t know what to think. It's just one lie after another with you!” Shouted Jackie so loud Rose was sure the neighbors would be talking about this one for weeks to come. Rose was very upset for the whole situation and what she had to continue doing, lie to her mother to protect her husband, was eating a hole through her.

“I meant to phone. I really did. I just I forgot.” Was all Rose could say. Jackie could not believe this, nothing was matching up. She could not believe that her daughter, her baby girl, could be this cruel or forgetful unless she had really done a bad job raising Rose up on her own. Even when she was with that bastard Jimmy Stone, she at least called once in a while, before Jackie managed to help save her from that abusive environment. 

“What, for a year? You forgot for a year? And I am left sitting here. I just don't believe you. Why won't you tell me where you've been?” Jackie begged her daughter. Jackie just wanted to know where she’d been, why was that so difficult? What had she been through that was so terrible? It had to be some form of foul play. Foul play and her gut told her now that this rotter of a man that Rose called her husband was at the center of it. Had he made her do things she didn’t want to do? Or involve her in something dangerous and now she was only allowed to see her mother again, if she stuck to guidelines? And was that why he was hovering around her. She knew that there was something fishy all along, maybe John was just trying to trap her little girl for some horrible reason that she couldn’t imagine, but several nasty ideas were stewing around Jackie’s head. He had run up the stairs really fast trying to catch up to Rose. Maybe Rose was trying to get a message out before John caught up. Maybe she was too afraid to talk even in front of the policeman. Oh, what horrible things had befallen her Daughter?

 

“Actually, it's my fault. I sort of er, brought Rose on as my companion for a bit of traveling.” Explained the Doctor, trying to take some of the responsibility for Rose’s actions. It hurt him to see her getting verbally attacked for something she couldn’t have helped. She had been the one being the devoted daughter wanting to come back and see mummy.  
“When you say companion, what defines companion to you in this relationship you have with your wife? What was the nature of this trip? Your mother-in-law expressed on the phone you might have been holding your wife against her will. And your wife’s reluctance to give any details might suggest that she was coerced to do something against her will that might be illegal. So I guess what I’m getting at is, was this trip of an unusual sexual nature?” Asked the Cop though the last question was aimed at the diminished figure of a woman in the chair across from him.

“No!” shouted the Doctor and Rose in unison.

“Then what is it? If you go along traveling you don’t keep it a secret! You send postcards! I didn’t even know where you were or who you were with Rose! For all I knew you could have been dead, the both of you could have been kidnapped or sold into the sex trade by this one here!” Bellowed Jackie pointing an accusatory finger at the Doctor. Rose dug herself so far into the arm chair she could feel the springs digging into her back. She then got up into the Doctor’s face and hissed,

“Would have been a little less suspicious of you, big ears, if your records weren’t so lacking! Couldn’t even find your records of your doctorates at your universities! Checked your house and all you had were diplomas that looked real but turns out they weren’t! That’s when I started suspecting you! Because you, you waltz into Rose’s life out of the blue, all charm and smiles, and the next thing I know, she vanishes off the face of the Earth! What’s your game? Do you stalk poor pretty young things and sweep em off their feet with the promise of a settled, stable, happy family life and trap em? Did you pretend you're a doctor to impress young women?” The Doctor just stood flabbergasted and all he could say was the truth.

“I am a Doctor.” He explained all the while looking like a deer in the headlights.

“Prove it. Stitch this, mate!” Shouted Jackie who promptly smacked the Doctor hard across the face. ‘And welcome to the family’ thought Rose exasperated. The Doctor had been hit with such force he had been thrown to the floor of Jackie’s flat. Clutching his injured cheek and jaw he looked up into the murderous eyes of his technically-still-his-mother-in-law, and he wouldn’t admit it, but he was afraid. It wasn’t like he could fight back or defend himself if she decided to go for a killing blow next. And to be honest, he probably would deserve it too. He didn’t think she would be angry enough to assault him in front of an officer of the law, in fact he wasn’t expecting it at all. And that was pretty dumb, he was seriously underestimating the anger of a mother denied her child for a year. Rose tried to get up to help the Doctor off the ground but the Policeman, clearly more used to this sort of thing, was already breaking up the fight and at the Doctor’s side. Rose helped keep Jackie away from the Doctor and sat her down fuming on the couch, while the Officer helped the Doctor to a sitting position.

“Are you alright, sir? Nothing broken?” the Policeman asked with concern. The Doctor indicated that he was fine and just looked over to Rose and her mother. He hated domestics, especially domestic disturbances, how much more Jerry could his life and this situation get? 

The officer hated coming to the Powell Estate as he was forever dealing with family drama, this case was a little more unusual with the sudden return of a woman presumed dead. But as not being dead wasn’t a crime nor was disappearing, he didn’t know why he was here except as a cheap family therapist or mediator. If the mother’s behavior was any indicator to this outsider, it was no wonder why her gold digging daughter would want to clear off with her cradle robbing husband and not tell mummy. Oh, he could write books. But she did think her daughter was dead and clearly she was directing her anger at her daughter’s husband for it, but the daughter was a big girl and if she wanted to she could have called in the first place. Probably would have wasted less police hours but mistakes can be made when people go off traveling. The Doctor wiped some spit that had accumulated in the side of his mouth from his face and the officer spoke again,

“Sir, do you want to press charges for the assault?” The Doctor locked eyes with Jackie who looked right back at him like a tiger ready to protect her cub. The Doctor wasn’t intimidated anymore, just irritated, and said to the officer. 

“No, she’s just upset, besides it wasn’t that hard anyway.” 

“Oh, I’ll give you another if you like, you dirty old git!” Shouted Jackie from her seat. Rose held down her mother, clearly she didn’t realize that the Doctor was probably just trying to belittle the assault so that the police would leave them alone. The accusations about faking being a doctor were interesting to the Copper, but just being hearsay from a hysterical council estate woman without evidence to back it up didn’t seem worth him personally pursuing at the moment, he had enough cases on his plate without looking for more. When the Officer had established that Jackie wasn’t being arrested and that she did not want anyone removed from the property, he gladly left the unusual family.   
'Good riddance to crazy,' he thought as he closed the door to the flat behind him. Rose by that time had the Doctor sitting on the couch with an icepack to his cheek; she was worried it would bruise. She then went to join her mother in the Kitchen.

 

Now that Jackie had the opportunity to get her aggression out on something, i.e., the Doctor’s face, she was feeling more mothering and less like mother bear. She was hugging her daughter fiercely, wanting to protect her from any harm. 

“Did you think about me at all?” ask Jackie begging to be told that it wasn’t the case that she was forgotten by her only daughter for a whole year. Rose pulled away to look at her mother and they were both in tears. Rose couldn’t have felt anymore terrible for what she unknowingly put her mother through and with a shaky teary voice she replied,

“I did. All the time, but…” She was interrupted by her mother’s imploring tone as she declared,

“One phone call. Just to know that you were alive.” Rose sniffled more and retreated into herself. She couldn’t even bring herself to look her mother in the eye. Her mother had thought she was dead. She watched programs about when people go missing and what the families go through. It was bad enough when you had a few immediate family members to help you through such a horrible thing. But when she thought about what her mother went through alone, possibly thinking that she out lived her whole family, both dead and taken before their time, Rose wanted to fall on the floor in remorse. ‘Oh god, did she have to look at unidentified bodies that turned up and ID them? Did she go through hospitals and morgues looking for her? ’ Rose asked herself. The thought of her mother looking at a decomposing body and having to scrutinize if it was her daughter, Rose, turned Rose’s stomach. She actually had to swallow back down some chunks that came up her throat. 

“I'm sorry. I really am.” Murmured Rose as her mother raised Rose’s chin up to look her in the eye,

“Do you know, what terrifies me is that you still can't say. What happened to you, Rose? What can be so bad that you can't tell me, sweetheart? Where were you?” Begged Jackie and Rose felt even worse. There was no way she could tell what really happened and keep the Doctor safe. And she hurt for all the worry she put her mother through and all the possible scenarios that had run through her mother’s head for a year. She felt like the worst daughter ever.

 

She had kept quiet while the policeman had been in the flat, any answer she gave would have just led to more questions but now that they were alone she at least had to alleviate some of the ideas in Jackie’s head. 

“Mum, I’m sorry I hurt you, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to. I hope you can believe that. But all those things you said about John, it hurts me too that you would say that to him. I know you are angry at us, but please just be angry at me. All those things you said any bad idea or thoughts you have about John, I promise you it’s not true. Far from true, John is a good man.” Explained Rose as if she were begging a judge not to execute her husband. Rose didn’t know if Jackie believed her or not, she thought Rose was lying about a lot of things and she was. But for the moment she relented and hugged her daughter, breathing in the scent she thought she’d never smell again. Rose told her mother that she and John were going out for some air but they promised that they would be back in just a little while. Jackie was reluctant to let her out of her sight but eventually she relented, however they had to be back in an hour.

Rose and the Doctor wanting air and solitude after the whole ordeal with Jackie and the police were up on the roof of the apartment building. They needed to talk and now had to deal with something that was very domestic and the Doctor wasn’t at all pleased with it. And that was how Rose’s real life as a 21st century human and its attachments worked in with Rose’s life as the unexpected space bride of a time traveling alien. Rose was sitting on a partition in the roof with her legs pulled up to her chin while hugging them. She would have really liked her husband to hold her right now, but just him standing next to her was comfort enough. She was grateful that he didn’t just run back to hide in the TARDIS after the way her mother had acted. Although it was very justifiable as to why she had behaved that way. 

“I can't tell her. I can't even begin. She's never going to forgive me. And I missed a year. Was it good?” asked Rose of her time traveling husband.

“Middling.” He said as if he were commenting on the weather.

“You're so useless.” Rose said flippantly annoyed. The Doctor realized that this was going to be a problem if Rose couldn’t decide which life she wanted to commit to, because things like this happening were a possibility and she needed to understand that.

“Well, if it's this much trouble, are you going to stay here now?” Asked the Doctor, part of him wanted to be nonchalant and uncaring about her staying or going, but another and growing stronger part of him was afraid that she’d say ‘yes’. Rose briefly had the image of the Doctor being like a Lorry driver going away for weeks and coming home to the wife and kids once in a while between jobs, but brushed that away as ridiculous. And who knew if he’d even come back to visit if she did let him go alone. She knew she didn’t want to be separated from him. But she didn’t want to break her mother’s heart again either. 

“I don't know. I can't do that to her again, though.” Sighed Rose to the Doctor as she put her hands on her forehead.

“Well, she's not coming with us.” Stated the Doctor very plainly, making it quite clear that he was never planning on traveling with the mother of a companion, or his mother-in-law. The two looked at each other and the very idea of Jackie coming with them made them both burst out laughing And Rose very much agreed with the Doctor. 

“I don't do families.” The Doctor declared to Rose in a grumpy voice, while waving his arm for effect. 

“Tough, you’re in one, now.” Laughed Rose as she threw her head back and then snickered again,   
“She slapped you!” The Doctor looked quite affronted and crossed his arms and held his chin just a little higher to show his indignity.

“Nine hundred years of time and space, and I've never been slapped by someone's mother...” Complained the Doctor. He was thoroughly annoyed by how domestics it all was. He wasn’t some teenager’s boyfriend that kept someone’s little girl out all night after all.   
“Let alone mother-in-law.” He said the last part under his breath so Rose wouldn’t hear. 

“Your face.” Laughed Rose at the memory of the look on the Doctor's face as he looked up from the floor at the irate Jackie. It had caused her to smirk a bit. Sure she had been concerned for him, but watching the stuck up almighty time lord be dealt such a blow from her mother, an ape just like her, she couldn’t help but see the humor in it. Apparently, Time Lords like all other blokes were no match for an angry mother bear.

“It hurt!” The Doctor whined to his technically-still-his-wife, while rubbing his cheek as it was still sore.

“You're such a cry baby. Say, when you say nine hundred years, you mean really, you’re 900 years old?” 

“That's my age.” Explained the Doctor to his twenty year old wife, well twenty-one now if you wanted to pretend she didn’t skip a year.

“You're nine hundred years old. And you weren’t just sayin’ that earlier to repel me when you were arguing with Jack, yeah?” Asked Rose in disbelief, sure that she had heard wrong. The Doctor answered the affirmative and Rose looked down to the ground, gave out a deep breath, and fully took in that information. 

“My mum was right all along. That is one hell of an age gap, and to think I first thought that forty was too old for me. Well then, I married you when I thought you were 20 years older, what’s 880 years more.” Declared Rose while the Doctor thought sarcastically, ‘well at least she doesn’t hold that against me.’ Rose wondered how old 900 years was considered for his species. He might actually be young for his race and if that were the case then hell he might out live her after all. She got up and walked a ways to the edge of the roof and stared out at the city.

“Every conversation with you just goes mental. There's no one else I can talk to. I've seen all that stuff up there, the size of it, and I can't say a word. Aliens and spaceships and things, and I'm the only person on planet Earth who knows they exist.” Rose said in a serious tone but it was coming off as a bit dramatic too. The Doctor even sensed that she might feel privileged over other humans by just knowing him, not that he could blame her. He was rather fantastic.  
"...Well 'cept for Jack, but he's not from my time, is he?" Rose said to herself, not really expecting the Doctor to respond. It was rather tremendous thought being the only 'modern' human with this secret knowledge. It was quite the lonely burden.

Suddenly Rose and the Doctor’s little world of thoughts were interrupted by the sound of what only could be described as a giant truck horn. The two felt something coming up behind them and ducked soon enough to see a giant smoking spaceship flying or rather falling over their heads. The mammoth spaceship looked like it was in trouble and crashing as it headed for the city in front of the two time travelers. It then circled around the city once before crashing one of its wings into Big Ben before splashing into the Thames. Rose and the Doctor stared dumbfounded as they watched a pillar of smoke off in the distance that most likely was the crash site of the spaceship. Rose was certainly no longer the only human being of her time, to her knowledge, that knew about aliens and had seen aliens.

“Oh, that's just not fair.” Stated Rose a little miffed, she would have liked to have been the sole holder of that information for just a bit longer. The Doctor just laughed, grabbed Rose’s hand and pulled her in the direction of the next adventure.

The Doctor and Rose had high tailed it down the stairwell and on the same breath of air had ran across the Powell estate and down the road for a better look at the crash, if it was possible. The ship was now miles away and had disappeared behind the buildings of London. But when they arrived they found that the army, in an attempt to maintain order, had closed down the roads much to the annoyances of every motorist for miles. The air was filled with the sounds of horns blaring and humans cursing their misfortunes. Soldiers shouted at people to stay back and the Doctor and Rose could travel no further without stirring up unwanted trouble with the military.   
“It's blocked off.” Said the Doctor declaring the obvious. Rose looked around at the chaos surrounding her and was floored.   
“We're miles from the centre. The city must be grid locked. The whole of London must be closing down.” Declared Rose astonished.

“I know. I can't believe I'm here to see this. This is fantastic!” Grinned the Doctor as giddy as a child on Christmas morning. Rose was shocked by his surprised mannerisms. She assumed that since he was a time traveler he knew when every major event was going to happen.

“Did you know this was going to happen?” Questioned Rose.

“Nope.” He laughed while jumping up as if it would help him see down the miles of gridlocked traffic better. Well maybe he at least knew the species that they would soon be making first contact with. She doubted it would be Vulcans like on Star Trek.

“Do you recognize the ship?” She inquired very eager for an answer.

“Nope.” Answered the Doctor quickly, only adding to Rose’s frustration at the lack of information and she tried again,

“Do you know why it crashed?” The Doctor once more gave the same response and Rose rolled her eyes. She had her very own personal alien spouse and he was as clueless as she was. Exasperated she said in a very sarcastic voice,

“Oh, I'm so glad I've got you.” ‘As she should,’ thought the Doctor not catching her sarcasm. Without him she would be even more clueless and probably freaking out along with the rest of the apes around her. And still ever the excited little boy he crowed, 

“I bet you are. This is what I travel for, Rose. To see history happening right in front of us.”   
‘Then why were they wasting time here?’ thought Rose as she looked around her at the people literally locked into place by their cars. They had the sweetest ride in the universe after all!

“Well, let's go and see it. Never mind the traffic, we've got the TARDIS.” Declared Rose. The Doctor still looking on at history happening before him, said off to the side,

“Better not. They've already got one spaceship in the middle of London. I don't want to shove another one on top.” That would be too much for these humans, he didn’t want them to assume that it was an invasion. As when one finds one alien ship their minds will no doubt search for another. Rose couldn’t understand the Doctor’s logic though, the TARDIS looked like anything but a spaceship. Let alone an alien one. What was the concern?

“Yeah, but yours looks like a big blue box. No one's going to notice.” She reasoned to the Doctor. He was unwavering in his decision and announced,

“You'd be surprised. Emergency like this, there'll be all kinds of people watching. Trust me. The TARDIS stays where it is.” Rose realizing now that they were grounded, playing the waiting game, and having as much knowledge and access to the new discovery as anyone else, sighed and let her shoulders slump down in defeat.

“So history's happening, we can’t use the TARDIS and we're stuck here with nothing else to do.” 

“Yes, we are.” The Doctor confirmed still smiling off into the distance as people around him started complaining now that they were slightly over the initial shock and focused on the mundane pain of being stuck in traffic. 

“Well then,” said Rose with her tongue poking out of her mouth and looking at the Doctor. The Doctor didn’t want to admit it but when she did that tongue poking out thing, he liked it. And John had too if his accessed memories from his human incarnation were any clue. It also usually meant that Rose had something else in mind that usually involved staying put and locked up in one room for the rest of the day. The Doctor didn’t know what was coming over him but suddenly he could think of nothing else than role playing the last night that John had seen Rose behave in the manner that he was recalling.

“We could always do what everybody else does, when there is nothing else you can do.” Said Rose a little breathily, though she might have still been a bit winded from their run down the stairs and across the estate to where they currently were. But she was also a mess of crazy adrenaline from all that had just happened and that was messing with the Doctor’s senses. Now the Doctor was really nervous that his imagination wasn’t, in fact, running and his instincts on exactly what Rose was going to demand of him, by her rights as his technically-still-his-wife, was spot on. And what scared him was that the more time he spent with this human, the less that sounded like a bad thing, and it wasn’t like they could just go back to the TARDIS for alone time as long as it didn’t go anywhere. Memories of very nice time spent with Rose as John alone also danced to the front of his traitorous mind.

“And what is that?” asked the Doctor with a rumble in his voice that Rose didn’t catch. He probably would end up turning the idea down, as an alien crash-landing wasn’t a good time to engage in such activities, but it wasn’t any damage to his ego for her to make the suggestion. And much to the Doctor’s disappointment, though he never would admit it, she answered,

“We could watch it on TV.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Notes: Now we start going off script more as you can see. Hope you like it. The doctor has to deal with family friends in the coming chapter. Next chapter’s title is, It’s like there’s a Party on my Planet and everyone’s invited! As usual comments are appreciated. It lets me know if you’re reading.


	23. Chapter 23 - It's like there's a Party on my Planet and everyone's invited!

Complicated  
by The Plot Thinens  
Chapter 23 - It's like there's a Party on my Planet and everyone's invited! 

Inside the Tyler's flat the Doctor and Rose were glued to the television which was now saturated in alien reports and hysteria over the latest E.T. sightings. Big Ben's destruction was big news and panic was all about, though surprisingly not as much as the Doctor thought. But give it time and they would go completely crazy as the news hyped things up more, like the danger level, for ratings. America had grounded all flights to help look for UFOs, because if there is an alien invasion they have to go for America, right? The Doctor thought whilst rolling his eyes. Another channel and some pretty boy with too much product in his hair was on next to tell that divers were being sent into the crashed spaceship. An American channel informed that their leader was assembling to address their respective nation and the Secretary General of the United States was now telling Americans to watch the skies. 'See I was right that the TARDIS should stay put.' Thought the Doctor. 'Now every itchy triggered fingered human was going to be spooked that everyone was an alien,' sighed the Doctor to himself. He certainly wouldn't be visiting any gun friendly countries anytime soon, last thing he wanted was to end up on some drunken hillbilly ape's wall. Or a freak show alongside bigfoot.

Unfortunately, the two could not distract themselves completely with television. The mood in the apartment was like being in an enemy camp as prisoners. Rose sat in the arm chair a few feet away from the Doctor who was brooding over the primitive entertainment screen. Rose didn't want to antagonize her mother by sitting too close to him right now, Jackie was still upset with the Doctor. She had forgiven her daughter for the most part as Jackie was still very sure that John must be to blame for the radio silence and not her daughter. Jackie had heard some whispers later on, in the investigation of Rose's disappearance, that the attackers from the school had singled out her daughter and her husband at the gathering they had attended. From all accounts most of the people at the party had been driven nutty from the attack based on the descriptions they gave. Some even claimed that they were after John. But one of the attackers was a student on campus who was also a pupil of John's, so he might have just been taking a familiar hostage. Some even implied that maybe John had mob ties that he was trying to escape from, and had been 'whacked' that night. Jackie had brushed off such claims as ridiculous since she had seen the two alive and well right after the attack. Sloppy mobsters then, no one seemed to have a straight sane answer of what happened that day. There were reports of people being disintegrated too. Which was unbelievable, it sounded like some alien horror film. But now that aliens had shown up, the idea of John being on the run from something and dragging Rose selfishly with him seemed more relevant. Either way she was sure John was not what he appeared to be, despite what Rose claimed, and that he was a danger to her only daughter. 'If he loved her at all he'd just disappear and take his troubles with him.' She thought bitterly.

Jackie was carrying two mugs of tea into the sitting area of the apartment. She had been loud and caused enough of a scene for the whole floor to hear and her friend, Ru, an Asian woman about the same age as Jackie, was now a guest in the flat. Ru accepted the mug and stared daggers at the Doctor and Rose. The Doctor pretty much ignored Ru, but Rose could feel each icy glare cut through her. Jackie walked up to her daughter and with a somewhat cold, but still motherly affection, handed the warm mug to her daughter. Rose gratefully accepted, welcoming any form of comfort at the moment. Ru had been one of Jackie's only sources of comfort over the year and had been a great help in trying to locate Rose. Now that Rose was back and seemingly run off with this older man she was done being quiet. She knew that this cradle robber was Rose's husband, but she was sure that that had been a youthful mistake. Ru was on the same line of thinking as Jackie, having overheard the whole police investigation two hours ago through her wall. She was certain that sweet Rose, who she had watched grow up would never cut off all ties to her mother for a year without being coerced to do so. Would she? Even when Jackie had lamented on Jimmy Stone and her daughter's relationship living with him, Rose had still called at least three times a week. Then again Jackie and John never really got along either, could Rose have cut her off out of spite, choosing her husband over her own mother? Rose had run off before, so Ru knew that she was capable of that, maybe cutting off ties was the next step. Either way that man sickened Ru for what he had put Jackie through and for what he must have done to keep or convince Rose to stay away from her mother. She looked at the Doctor and shouted to Jackie, but obviously to be heard by all in the flat,  
"What is he still doing here anyway? Stealing your daughter away! And you dearie, he better have had you locked in a room without a phone, the things you put your mother through! How come you're letting him sit there and relax in your home, Jackie? After what he did?!" The Doctor certainly did not look relaxed thought Rose. The remarks that Ru, a woman who Rose considered as sort of like an honorary aunty, made was mortifying Rose and only made her feel all the more guiltier and embarrassed as it seemed to be clear that her family life was an Estate wide scandal. How was she to defend him from all this, so he wouldn't be choked in the domestics that he hated so much? She was surprised that he had taken this much so far and hadn't run for the TARDIS after the slap. Jackie unlike earlier had taken up a passive aggressive stance now, and ever the victim declared,  
"I've got no choice. If I want Rose in here, I have to tolerate that old gargoyle!" Ru couldn't believe how Rose was tormenting her mother in her opinion by making her have to play host to John and bellowed,  
"You've broken your mother's heart. I cradled her like a child, while you were off with this old man here! Travelling, ha!" Through guilt and the shouting Rose noticed that Jackie had got a mug of tea for everyone, but the Doctor and looked to her questioningly. Jackie reading her daughter's wordless expression threw her nose up in the air and stated,  
"I'm not going to make him welcome." The Doctor had finally had it with the screaming apes and shouted for them to be quiet because he was trying to listen to the television. 'I feel like Jane Goodall.' Thought the Doctor to himself. The Doctor's back was still turned away from Jackie and Ru otherwise he would have noticed the simultaneous birds flipped to him by the two middle aged women. Rose just put her head in her hands and wondered when the mortification would end. Right now she wanted nothing more than to either retreat back to 'her' room on the TARDIS or if that was off limits, than her own former room in this flat.

Rose suffered under her friends and family's scrutiny for a few more hours but as anger changed into relief and maybe the crowd thought that she suffered enough, it became more of a 'welcome home party for Rose', Rose even started to enjoy the festivities herself. As night fall was coming, and the work day was ending, everyone around her was in more of a partying and drinking mood. The Powell estate was now alive with intoxicated and' getting there' residents some of which had collected in the Tyler flat to celebrate Rose's return, talk about the day's happenings, and to 'oh yes' celebrate first contact. The Doctor on the other hand, had been no help to Rose earlier or now in engaging in making merriment. For the most part he was ignored since he didn't talk or do anything besides watch TV. Rose only had to make excuses for a few awkward questions here and there rather than the inquisition she had received earlier about her marriage and spouse. Though it would have been nice if the Doctor had backed her up so she didn't feel all on her own against the world. Earlier, when people were angry, what bothered her the most wasn't that he was taking all the abuse he had received, it was that he flat out ignored it. He was treating any angry or scolding remarks as if they were the sound of dogs barking across the street. Several times a few of Jackie's friends had tried to engage him in conversation either to blame him for Rose's disappearance or to ask the secret of catching a pretty young thing with such awful looks. The latter of the two had actually been one person, a drunken neighbor of Jackie's, who was about the same age as the Doctor looked. Now if the Doctor had been still just John, then he probably would have punched the guy. But besides rude he seemed harmless enough and all The Doctor cared about right now was that on the television it was being reported that a body had been discovered inside the crashed ship and was supposedly being brought out. The Doctor struggled to hear details over the din of people accumulated in the small flat. All they were talking about was who was dating who and who had the latest bargain, monkey's chattering in a zoo and the Doctor did all he could do, which was hunkered down.

The Doctor focused his rather large ears on the tiny speakers of the television and managed to learn that a UNIT mortuary would be the resting place of the alien remains for the moment. Now he knew where to go if he wanted a personal look at the alien corpse. UNIT, there was an organization he hadn't thought about for a while, heck he was probably still on their payroll actually. In a brief moment of domestic insanity he wondered if he could collect on any of that money so that he could actually help pay for some things from Rose's time, if she needed them, now that he wasn't collecting a teacher's salary. Such a thought horrified the Doctor! Were the monkeys' talking in the room eating at his subconscious or something. Why would he even think that when thinking about UNIT for the first time in a century?! Was he going native or spending too much time around the apes? 'Time Lord, you are a Time Lord, you don't care about currency hording!' screamed the Doctor in his head. It was then that he noticed that the television had changed to some child friendly cooking show. It was teaching you how to make your own cake shaped like a space ship, it was then that he realized that some ape's child was sitting on the bit of the cushion not yet occupied on his arm chair and was grasping the remote. The Doctor, annoyed, wrestled the device from the child's sticky fingers and shooed him off to his mother across the room. More dirty looks.

More news followed about the ineffectiveness of the Government in addressing the scared and confused population, the whereabouts of the Prime Minister. As well as the arrival of some Chairman of Parliamentary Commission Joseph Green at 10th Downing street, The Doctor didn't care, he wanted more info on the alien. The noise around the Doctor from the apes got louder and he couldn't take it anymore. He was tired of sitting like a couch potato dealing with inferior news distribution when he had the TARDIS and he knew where to look and he was going to find out first hand. Quietly so as not to be noticed he made his way out of the flat, with any luck they would just think he was going to the bathroom and the leather clad storm cloud wouldn't be missed. Even Rose he didn't think noticed him, 'an easy feat for my superior Time Lord abilities.' smirked the Doctor to himself.

The Time Lord opened the flat door and felt the cool air on his skin, finally he had escaped the ape exhibit and was free to run about as he pleased! How did someone as fantastic as Rose stand all that stuff in there? Rose again. Why? There was an alien mystery to occupy his attentions and he was thinking about Rose. Why was he always thinking and being emotional about Rose? In fact, why did things have to be so wishy-washy with his emotions lately? He wanted just one mindset and not this bouncing about on where he stood with the Rose situation. There were probably reasons for it. When he had Rose in the TARDIS to himself, things were different. Despite the fact that he had fallen into their current situation with little to no say, some of the domestics didn't seem that bad. He made toast for her for Rassilon's sake! And in crazy moments the Doctor almost felt like he could see the Rose situation going somewhere and somewhere he wouldn't mind going. Maybe one human he could handle, but when it wasn't his territory and he was brought into Rose's world, that's when any idea of domesticity and its appeal flew out the window. Then he'd want to run away and never look back. 

Then he questioned what he was doing there with these apes, what was he doing there with Rose. The misgivings he had he believed were called, 'marrying the family,' and the Doctor didn't know if he could stand linking himself on such a personal and domestic level with these apes that Rose called family, friends and fellow species members. It wasn't like he could just have one and not the other. Rose had baggage and human's were social animals, if he just kept finding ways to keep her away from her family or her own time it wouldn't be any more good for her than a social wild animal forced to live in captivity in a cage by itself. No matter how nice the cage she would want out and to be with her own kind, after all he wanted to be with his kind again or at least still have the option. He wasn't going to kid himself that, if things had not changed, John would have been all she needed. She'd always need her mother and friends, you couldn't just cut her off from humanity. He exhaled hard. Being able to see the black open spaces of the universe outside of that tiny flat made him feel less cooped up and he could breathe again. The Time Lord walked away from the source of his confusion and irritation. He made it about three doors down from the Tyler flat before he was stopped by a familiar voice.

"And where do you think you're going?" Asked Rose of her technically-still-her-husband who she had among the festivities caught slinking out of the flat. Perhaps the Doctor's abilities were out matched by a spouse's watchful eyes. He had not moved from that spot all night, no matter how quiet, of course Rose would have noticed the change. She had been glancing over at him every minute for hours now. The Doctor realizing he was caught in the act of escaping turned around and smiled as innocently as he could and in a voice trying not to sound agitated said,  
"Nowhere. It's just a bit human in there for me. History just happened and they're talking about where you can buy dodgy top-up cards for half price. I'm off on a wander, that's all." Rose was hit by how different what was normal for her and her kind was to the Doctor. She knew that it probably wasn't easy being married to a 'lesser species' and she couldn't help but be pained by the picture in her head of the Doctor sitting in a zoo exhibited among apes screaming and throwing fits all around him. Maybe he had enough of humoring Rose and was ready to move on to the next adventure in time and space without stupid crazy acting apes. Like her. No. She had to get rid of that self-loathing for her species' 'primitive behaviors' as the Doctor seemed to see them. That wasn't fair to compare. It was just as hard for Rose being married to a cold, confusing and aloft 'superior' alien. She had saved him before and he said that she was worthy of him at least in one aspect already. That meant that she could prove his preconceptions of humans were wrong. There had to be a way past his prejudices, it just needed time.

The Doctor didn't know why he was feeling so disappointed about how the humans were behaving. Had he built up his expectations too much? It wasn't like he expected them to become mature and worldly or rather 'universely' over night with the realization of the obvious, that they weren't the only planet inhabiting species out there. Maybe he was being unfair and expecting too much of these apes, but a little humble reflection instead of hard drinking and partying would be nice. Maybe he should just be happy that no witch hunts for aliens in the general area seemed to be happening yet. Anyway, Rose didn't seem to be buying his excuse of just getting some fresh air.

"Right. There's a spaceship on the Thames and you're just wandering." Stated Rose with skepticism, famous last words of your spouse before they up, run off and leave you.  
"Nothing to do with me. It's not an invasion. That was a genuine crash landing. Angle of descent, color of smoke, everything. It's perfect." Declared the Doctor with a manic grin. Rose wondering what he was getting at with his unusual lack of meddling in the affairs of time and space asked,  
"So?"  
"So maybe this is it. First contact. The day mankind officially comes into contact with an alien race. I'm not interfering because you've got to handle this on your own. That's when the human race finally grows up. Just this morning you were all tiny and small and made of clay. Now you can expand." He cheered shaking his gently fisted hands in front of him, a little excited for her species. Though Rose couldn't help but still get an uneasy feeling off him like he wanted to run away and be anywhere else. She felt like if she let him go she wouldn't see him again. Noticing her unsettled look the Doctor smiled and said very gently like he were talking to a skittish animal,  
"You don't need me. Go and celebrate history. Spend some time with your mum." Rose smiled at the thought of spending time with her mother and being encouraged to do so, but then she got worried again as he turned and started walking away.

"Promise you won't disappear?" She asked nervously, the Doctor rolled his eyes though Rose couldn't see. What, now he needed his technically-still-his-wife's permission to come and go as he wanted? He was a Time Lord and did what he wanted. He turned to Rose but when he saw the worry in her eyes something in him actually cared that she was worried about where he was going and when, if ever, he would be coming back. What could he do to ease Rose's tension enough for her to let him go? He thought to himself. What did Earth blokes do? He could still leave if he wanted and never look back, he kidded himself, but what could he give her as insurance that he would come back, just to get her off his back? All the gruff and cold thoughts he could run in his head, however, did not get rid of the excitement he felt as he decided what he could do. He could extend more trust.

"Tell you what. TARDIS key. It's about time you had one. See you later." Declared the Doctor as he handed the metal key on a chain to Rose. That's what Earth blokes did, give their Sheila the keys to the castle, or in this case the TARDIS. If he had been thumbing through John's memories more carefully he would have noticed at that second that he had done something similar with the very same human back when he was an ape. Though it wasn't until after he was heading down the darkened stairwell that he remembered the day John had given his girlfriend, Rose, the keys to his very nice home. He'd even gave Rose bathroom, spare bed, and kitchen privileges too. John couldn't bear the thought of Rose walking to the bus station after a late night shift or taking the night bus home alone after the circumstances that brought about their first 'date.' He had not been so bold to offer to share a bed, John had been a gentleman, but after a few weeks and they both had grown comfortable enough, Rose was a guest in his bed after the end of every late night shift she worked. Of course pretty soon after that she was a resident every day and night too at 'their' home. The Doctor laughed, that had been the only thing that Jackie hadn't objected to. The fact that John was a homeowner, was a multiple home owner now technically, he then made his way to the TARDIS.

Rose looked at the piece of metal that the Doctor had just handed her. It looked just like the key she had seen him use to open the TARDIS before. He had handed it over as if it was nothing but the significance of this wasn't lost on her if this was indeed a key to the TARDIS as he said. This was his way of letting her know that he wasn't going to leave her behind. The TARDIS was a sophisticated sentient alien space ship and he had just given her, an ape, a key to open it. It was like finally getting the key to your boyfriend's flat, or rather house, all over again. Was this part of the next level of trust that he said he would try to show her? Was he so comfortable with her that without even thinking about it he trusted her with so much? That was how she knew last time the he trusted her with everything he had, back when he was John. You didn't just hand over the key to your lovely home to some young chav you thought was going to rob you blind. The key even looked a bit similar to the key to what was their home when they had been working on campus. Maybe The Doctor and John had similar tastes in some ways or it could be a coincidence. She at least hoped that it would turn out that they had the same taste in women.

The TARDIS was in sight now and he happily left the loud screaming apes to their partying. He was almost to the door, but little did he know that he had park his TARDIS below and across the way from one Mickey Smith. The man that had once been Rose's boyfriend and the one that the Doctor's TARDIS had thoroughly 'freaked out.' Mickey who had been airing his shoes out on the balcony looked out over the Powell Estate and saw the familiar blue box. He was a jumble of emotions at the sight of that box, but the desire to run towards it and find out what happened to Rose overpowered anything else. He barreled out of his apartment, not even bothering to lock it. Flew down the stairs and burst through the door into the open air. Mickey saw the Doctor had just walked in the space ship and called out to alien at the top of his lungs. Unfortunately for Mickey' especially his head, the Doctor did not seem to notice the man and began the dematerialization process. No longer having a blue box in front of him to enter, Mickey ran full force into the wall behind where the TARDIS had been and after hitting it fell to the floor. Poor Mickey now trying to regain his dignity and hoping that no one saw him run into a wall, tried to play and look cool. With nothing else to do he walked to Jackie's flat. Perhaps they had come back to talk to Jackie, oh he hoped that now Jackie had seen them and would realize that he had had nothing to do with Rose's disappearance.

The Doctor was inside his TARDIS where he felt most comfortable, alone in his sanctuary, away from anything not Gallifreyan in origin. The TARDIS was in flight but it was not happy at all and was giving the Doctor a hard time. She was refusing to cooperate and bring him to his destination, as if to ask "Where is the pink and yellow one?" The Doctor seemingly ignoring or unaware of this simply took a mallet to the part of the TARDIS console acting up and with a flicker from the time rotor the TARDIS was on its way. 'Fine,' thought the TARDIS, it didn't matter where they were going because after that whack, regardless of where her Time Lord wanted to go next she was going to deposit said Time Lord right in front of his human wife after the Doctor's little adventure was over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Notes: Hey all, Next chapter is called 'The Ex, the Alien-in-Law, and the Morgue Drawer.' And as a reminder I don't mind comments if you have a chance, heh thanks. And before you say anything, yes I know not too much change of scenery in this chapter. But sometimes things have to move slow first to move faster.


	24. Chapter 24 - The Ex, the Alien-in-Law, and the Morgue Drawer

Complicated  
by the Plot Thinens  
Chapter 24 - The Ex, the Alien-in-Law, and the Morgue Drawer

The TARDIS was now in one of the many supply closets of the Albion Hospital. The Doctor had arrived undetected, so far, and only had to endure the slight annoyance of a tight parking job as he locked the Yale lock and slipped by some unused equipment right in front of the TARDIS. The Doctor felt alive and in his element sneaking around as he pleased, free as a bird or bachelor again. Again? Now he was admitting he wasn't a bachelor anymore? He just wished his very big brain would come up with a definitive answer for the unusual circumstances that he and Rose were in. Did he love her or was he indifferent. Was he happier away from her or with her? The Time Lord made for the closet entrance and grumbled as his Sonic Screwdriver made a bit more noise then he would have preferred. He decided to enjoy the experience and playfully shushed the noise before he journeyed onward.

Unfortunately for the Doctor onward meant a room full of Red Berets. For a few moments they stared at each other, hardly believing what the other was seeing. The Soldiers certainly weren't expecting any action but they would take it. In unison the soldiers grabbed their weapons and pointed them at the strange leather clad man. The Doctor was starting to feel that his day might turn pear shaped when the silence of the room was interrupted by the sound a woman's high pitched scream. The Doctor looked at the soldiers and the soldiers looked at him. The Doctor then decided to take authority and as he slipped past the soldiers he shouted,  
"Defense plan delta! Come on. Move! Move!" As a reflects at the sound of the command the soldiers followed close behind the Doctor as he raced out of the room to the scream's point of origin.  
Inside the mortuary Doctor Sato cowered behind her desk as she tried to nurse the cut on her head while shakily holding a gun. Relieved to see members of her own species burst into the room she shrieked,  
"It's alive!" The Doctor saw the empty morgue drawer and put two and two together. Concerned for the woman on the floor, the Doctor determined that Sato was shaken up but relatively unharmed. He turned to the UNIT soldiers collected at the door and barked,  
"Spread out. Tell the perimeter it's a lockdown." The Doctor breathed authority, but he was still a stranger to the soldiers, before they had been reacting to a cry for help, but what gave him the power to order them around? Not having time to deal with a chain of command the Doctor again shouted orders over the scared Sato,  
"Do it!" The soldier accepted his command and went about to execute his sensible orders. All about the building the soldiers' voices could be heard echoing the halls, clearing each room as threat free. While the Doctor interrogated Doctor Sato.  
"I swear it was dead." Implored Sato to the Doctor, certain that her blunder had her in big trouble. The Doctor explained to her that the alien could have been in shock, a coma, hibernation, it didn't matter. What he wanted to know was,  
"What does it look like?" Suddenly their conversation was interrupted by the sound of metal clattering about in the very room they were still in. Realizing this the Doctor stood up and quickly made his way backward to the other remaining soldier who had stayed behind to watch the Doctor, just in case. The Doctor gestured to the soldier to come in and kneel by Doctor Sato while the Doctor had a better look. 

The Doctor crawled on all fours to the direction of the noise and very gingerly poked his head behind a filing cabinet to see what appeared to at first be a pig! A pig? A bipedal pig in a space suit. Intrigued the Doctor let go of the air he had been holding in and smiled to the creature,

"Hello." This did not have a calming effect on the creature at all and it ran from the Doctor squealing all the way. The pig ran out of the room and the Doctor shouted to the soldiers not to shoot but one did anyway. The poor thing fell to the ground fatally wounded. Catching up with the wounded alien the Doctor looked at the soldier, who had fired on the pig, with disgust and shouted,

"What did you do that for? It was scared! It was scared." The soldier looked at the Doctor with nothing to say, he was completely out of his element. When he had fired on the alien running at him he did not know that he would be made to feel guilty for doing it. The Doctor stroked the poor wounded pig's face trying to give it some comfort before it died. It didn't deserve this especially now that he knew what it really was. Stupid humans and their stupid guns. Always shooting first and asking questions later. Couldn't they just for once in their ape-ish lives look at the world differently? Accepting life in all its forms instead of fearing and destroying it, how hard was that?

The Doctor, with the help of the soldier that shot the pig, carried the now dead creature back to the mortuary. After placing it down on the table the Doctor shot the soldier an icy look and he cowered away and left the room with many questions to himself about his actions. Sato now having bandaged her cut looked upon the creature again and explained to the Doctor,  
"I just assumed that's what aliens look like, but you're saying it's an ordinary pig from Earth." The Doctor with arms crossed and looking very stern and imposing declared with disgust,  
"More like a mermaid. Victorian showmen used to draw the crowds by taking the skull of a cat, gluing it to a fish and calling it a mermaid. Now someone's taken a pig, opened up its brain, stuck bits on, then they've strapped it in that ship and made it dive bomb. It must've been terrified. They've taken this animal and turned it into a joke." Sato was getting it now, but she couldn't believe what it implied.  
"So it's a fake, a pretend, like the mermaid. But the technology augmenting its brain, it's like nothing on Earth. It's alien. Aliens are faking aliens. But why would they do that? Doctor?" asked Sato but when she turned and looked up from the dead pig, the Doctor was nowhere to be found. Disappeared like a ghost. 'Who did this man think he was, Batman?' asked Sato of herself as she stared at the spot the Doctor had been. She walked out the door to the mortuary, perhaps he had gone out in the hall to make a phone call. Looking both ways down the hall she did not see the man, she called out to The Doctor, but her only answer was a breeze from nowhere and the most bizarre noise coming from an adjoining room. It was the TARDIS dematerializing.

The mood on the Powell estate, especially the Tyler flat was anything but dire. Everyone was on their third or fourth round. Hell, maybe fifth. Lots of people had stopped counting. Jackie raised her drink in a toast and declared to the noisy crowd,  
"Here's to the Martians!" To which the rest of the guests made a toast to the Martians as well. Rose, who was not drinking, she didn't feel like it, rolled her eyes and was starting to wish that the Doctor were from Mars so at least for once the Doctor would have her mother's blessing. The atmosphere was celebratory until Mickey Smith walked into the flat through the open front door and stared at Rose on the sofa. He didn't believe his eyes. The whole room went dead quiet and Rose turned to see what was up. Locking eyes with Mickey, Rose felt terrible for having forgotten to call him. After all she had left him quite abruptly, strangely and for a whole year. She knew that she was in deep trouble with her ex-boyfriend-and-still-friend.

"I was going to come and see you." Piped up Rose, feeling quite guilty as she watched Mickey's hurt face. To which Ru declared,

"Someone owes Mickey an apology." Rose knew that she had quite a few things to apologize to her friend for and squeaked out that she was sorry for worrying him. Ru corrected Rose and said that it wasn't Rose who needed to apologize, but Jackie. Jackie took up a defensive stance and clutching her glass of alcohol snipped,  
"Well, it's not my fault. Be fair. What was I supposed to think? It was either John or im."

Jackie, Rose and Mickey had moved into the small kitchen in the back of the flat to have a much overdue chat about the past year. Rose leaned on the sink while Jackie sat in a chair and watched Mickey pacing and fuming about the room. He then, much to Rose's horror, revealed the horrible situation that he had found himself in because of Rose disappearing.

"You disappear, and guess who's on the list of the people they turn to? Your husband, 'cept he's out of the picture. Can't find him, he might be missing too. So who's the next best suspect? Your 'jealous' ex-boyfriend, you dumped. Who by chance happens to be the last person seen with you alive on the Estate! Half a dozen witnesses saw you walk off with me a year ago. And it wasn't even me." He whispered the last part so that only Rose and not Jackie would hear. Rose retreated into herself more, she felt like garbage. You don't treat good friends like this, but it wasn't like she meant to leave for a year on purpose. It was an accident. She probably shouldn't have left Mickey so abruptly on her old street, but it wasn't like she wasn't going off with someone she shouldn't be. The Doctor was technically-still-her-husband!

"Five times I was taken in for questioning. Five times. No evidence. Course, there couldn't be, could there?" Mickey sneered and then pointed to Jackie.  
"And then I get her, your mother, whispering around the estate, pointing the finger. Stuff through my letterbox, and all 'cos of you." Rose had to defend herself at least a little and chirped,  
"I didn't think I'd be gone so long."  
"And I waited for you, Rose! Twelve months, waiting for you and the Doctor to come back. I didn't know what he was going to do to you! I was worried Rose, I feared for you and that you would never come back!" Shouted Mickey, he then hissed in concern very quietly,  
"He's not human, Rose. He lied to you! Tricked you! You can't trust him. You're going to end up hurt or worse!" Just then Jackie sat up and questioned,  
"Hold on. You knew about the two of em swanning off? Why didn't you tell me?" Mickey noticing that the other house guests were listening in and closed the serving hatch to the kitchen, followed by the kitchen door.  
"Yeah, yeah. Why not, Rose? Huh? You want to know why I couldn't tell? How could I tell her where you went with the liar?" Jackie demanded to be told what was going on and Mickey gladly obliged.  
"I might as well, 'cos you're stuck here. The Doctor's gone. Just now. That box thing just faded away." Crowed Mickey. Rose looked stunned, she couldn't believe his words. Mickey had to be lying, but she'd never known him to lie. She must be misunderstanding something or she wasn't getting the meaning that Mickey was trying to get across.  
"What do you mean?" asked Rose in disbelief. Mickey was usually a kind man but after a year of hell his patience and feel for being gentle with bad news was gone and he reveled in what he was about to say and finally make Rose see sense.  
"He's left you, just like I said he would. Some husband he turned out to be." This was not right the Doctor wouldn't leave her, her John wouldn't leave her. Not now. But then again, he had left before but he always came back. Rose had tears in her eyes and raced out of the kitchen, grabbed her coat and ran out of the flat. She was going to go back to the TARDIS. She was done with this for the day and she just wanted to sleep in her own bed. The Doctor had just gone out like he said he had and the TARDIS was going to be right where they left it. And she was going to use her key to open the door to their home. Rose thought she heard Mickey and Jackie's voices following behind her but she was too focused on finding that blue box.

Rose ran to the last place she saw the TARDIS and much to her shock, Mickey had not lied. It was gone. Rose looked at the blank spot and shook her head in disbelief before declaring,  
"He wouldn't just go, he promised me." Mickey found Rose's denial laughable and did laugh to himself as he stated in a voice that dripped with 'I told you so,'  
"Oh, he's dumped you, Rose. Sailed off into space to find some other girl to steal. How does it feel, huh? Now you are left behind with the rest of us Earthlings. Get used to it." Mickey's words cut into Rose, but still she looked about for the TARDIS. It didn't make sense, she trusted the Doctor and if he was planning to go anywhere...  
"He would have said." Stated Rose now only half paying attention to Mickey as he made more cracks like: 'why do aliens always seemed to be stealing Earth Women. Maybe it's because they got tired with the last one they stole.' 'Or hey, at least he didn't eat you.' Jackie was now very confused by the two youths in front of her and very much wanted to be in on the joke already.  
"What're you two chimps going on about? What's going on? What's this 'Doctor' John done now?" asked an irritated Jackie. How funny that her mother would say chimps, thought Rose, but she was still concerned about where her technically-still-her-husband had gone off to. Mickey once more, the well of information, informed Jackie, in a gloating voice, that the Doctor had 'vamoosed' and left 

Rose behind. Rose wouldn't have her Ex sullying her husband's name or reputation anymore than it was in the eyes of her mother and in the Doctor's defense shouted back,  
"He's not gone, because he gave me this!" Rose showed him the key and Mickey just rolled his eyes and laughed at the object. Like a key, that could be to anything, was undeniable proof that the Doctor was coming back. Rose was angry now, she believed with all her heart that this small piece of metal meant that she would always have a home with the Doctor and how dare Mickey question that. Even if he was mad at her, Mickey should not talk about her technically-still-her-husband, no not technically!  
"He's my husband, Mickey. No, those words don't even describe it. That's just a legal and societal term, he's better than that. He's much more important than…" Rose tried to explain, with confidence in her voice, in words, what the most important person in her universe, the Doctor, meant to her. But her monologue was stopped when she noticed that the key in her hand was glowing with a golden light. The Blond smiled and looked at Mickey with a knowing smirk as they heard and started to feel the TARDIS materialize.  
"I said so." Smiled Rose to her Ex, but then remembered that her mother was right behind her and she frantically turned to her mother and begged,  
" Mum! Mum, go inside. Mum, don't stand there, just go inside. Just, Mum, go. Oh, blimey." Rose put her thumb in her mouth and nervously chewed on the tip as the TARDIS started to become visible. How was she going to handle this, her mum? This was the worst way for her mum to find out that she married an alien. Well there were probably worse ways, but right now, to her, this was the worst. Jackie stared on aghast while Mickey knowingly pointed to the box. Rose was now caught in her web of lies and Mickey was going to sit back, relax, and watch Rose sweat her way out of this one. Jackie still not understanding how the blue box appeared or what it had to do with John, asked how they had pulled off this trick. Rose not knowing what else to do, decided that she wanted to make an attempt at a united front and opened the Door to the TARDIS to find her husband. She needed his support and she needed to warn him that he was about to have a talk with his mother-in-law like no other before.

Rose unlocked the TARDIS, ran through the door and up the ramp to the console. Under different circumstances she probably would have been euphoric that she had opened the TARDIS's door all on her own but she had to give the Doctor a heads up. However, she was also upset that he had gone off when he said he wouldn't, even though he had come back. The Doctor as if he could read her thoughts by just her steps alone threw his hands up in surrender and declared,  
"All right, so I lied. I went and had a look. But the whole crash landing's a fake. I thought so. Just too perfect. I mean, hitting Big Ben. Come on, so I thought let's go and have a look…" The Doctor had in fact wanted to bring Rose along on the next part of this mission, having backup was nice and Rose was helpful during a mystery. It was the TARDIS however who had chosen the timing. It seems for wandering off from his bride and whacking the console, the punishment from the TARDIS was now the Doctor had to disclose who he really was to his mother-in-law. Rose interrupted the Doctor trying to radiate whatever charm she thought would best appeal to the Doctor and very quietly and a bit nervous told the Doctor,  
"My mum's here." 

The Doctor was not happy, not happy at all. He had real aliens to catch and the last thing he needed was a visit from the 'in-laws.' The doctor turned around and saw that in his TARDIS stood a shocked Jackie and dumbfounded, but irritated Mickey Smith. In a huff he rolled his eyes and turned back to Rose. Getting closer to her and looking her in the eyes she could see that he was as annoyed as if she had just left the door open and stray cats had got in.  
"Oh, that's just what I need. Don't you dare make this place domestic." The Doctor all but ordered Rose. That was when Mickey declared to the Doctor,  
"You ruined my life, Doctor." The Doctor sighed exasperated; did he really have to deal with this now?  
"They thought she was dead. I was a murder suspect because of you. Supposedly I was the last one to be seen with Rose, alive!" Announced Mickey to the room. The Doctor just looked at the human in front of him and turning to Rose groaned,  
"You see what I mean? Domestic." Rose felt like she was standing in the middle of a minefield. She was trying to play mediator between her mother, her Ex and her husband and if she made a wrong move in the next few seconds the whole room would explode! She desperately wanted to bypass this whole situation and magically make her mother and Ex-boyfriend-but-still-friend, understand that she didn't mean to leave them for a year, truly. And that she was complicatedly, but still somewhat happily, well determining that, married to an over 900 year old alien time traveler. Easy, right? Well it would be easy if the Doctor was making any effort to meet her half way. She needed him to back her up and he was doing anything but. If the alien git slept or even shared the same bed as her now, she'd be mad enough to tell him that he was sleeping on the couch tonight and every night for a month. She felt like he was forcing her to choose right there a side. Her fellow humans or her husband? Rose was shaken from her dramatic thoughts by Mickey raising his voice to accuse the Doctor of being so uncaring about the consequences of his actions or the lives he affected that he bet that the Doctor didn't even remember Mickey's name.  
"Ricky." Said the Doctor, as if it were the dumbest question in the world. Whether the Doctor was getting the young man's name wrong by accident or on purpose, it didn't matter. Mickey was steamed regardless.  
"It's Mickey." The man snapped at the Doctor.  
"No, it's Ricky." Corrected the Doctor annoyed.  
"I think I know my own name." Said Mickey irritated with the alien thinking he knew better.  
"You think you know your own name? How stupid are you?" asked the Doctor. Mickey had fallen right into the Doctor's litte trap and made Mickey look foolish by his own words. The man probably was about to come to blows with the Time Lord, but the mood was broken with Jackie fleeing the TARDIS. Rose did not want her mother running off now before she could explain the situation fully to her.  
"Mum, don't!" Shouted Rose, who now realized that she was being pulled in three directions and trying to hold three conversations, instead of just one with the group of people surrounding her.  
"Don't go anywhere." She ordered the Doctor, shaken up and fearful that if she left the TARDIS the Doctor would leave again on his adventure without her, not wanting anymore domestics to deal with. She then worried about leaving Mickey alone with the Doctor and begged the man,  
"Don't start a fight!" Rose didn't want to come back and find anyone with a black eye or find herself an actual widow now. She then raced for her mother, shouting for her to come back. She must be afraid of the Doctor now. Or going through that cultural shock thing that the Doctor had told her about earlier that Rose had experienced, at an extreme level, back on Platform One. Oh how did she convince her mother that the Doctor was not dangerous to them? He could be gruff and rough around the edges, but Rose never doubted that the Doctor was her protector and would do everything in his power to keep her safe as she could be time traveling. Especially when Rose would wander into trouble. Without the Doctor's help could Rose convince her mother that he wasn't always as impossible as he was acting now? He just didn't like human domestics, that was all. Okay that was a big issue to dance around too. This jumble of thoughts escaped her lips in the form of,  
"Mum, it's not like that. He's not." Shouted Rose feeling tongue tied. She wanted to follow her mother back to the flat, but then she remembered the mystery a foot and how much she wanted to help the Doctor. Almost pathetically, she shouted to her mum,  
"I'll be up in a minute. Hold on!" God, Rose wished she could split herself in two right now. She thought that she was probably the worst daughter in the world but she turned back and ran into the TARDIS.  
There was a mystery a foot and Rose was too much like her husband to resist it. She had to know. She ran up beside the Doctor, squeezing in close to look at the monitor that her husband was scrutinizing. Continuing where their conversation had originally started, before Mickey and Jackie had stepped in, Rose replied,  
"That was a real spaceship." The Doctor confirmed the affirmative.  
"So it's all a pack of lies? What is it, then? Are they invading? Are they just trying to make it look like a crash, yeah?" Asked Rose excited to find out what was really going on. Oh, the Doctor had to admit to himself that he really liked it when Rose was deducting things, secretly he felt something about it was, what the apes would say, a real turn on. The Doctor was going to speak, but Mickey piped up from behind,  
"Funny way to invade, putting the world on red alert." Mickey thought that these aliens would have to be dumb as bricks to so plainly say, 'here we are!' The Doctor thought that that comment was surprisingly good and replied,  
"Good point! So, what're they up to?"

As the 'mystery crew' thought away in the TARDIS, Jackie was left in her room alone, frightened and not knowing what to do. This wasn't a light matter. Her daughter was in danger and Jackie had to do something to remove the danger, i.e. this man that she thought was a man named John, but seemed to go by the name 'the Doctor' now. He was an alien, if he was lying about that then a false name was no surprise. She knew that for whatever reason, perhaps even mind control, Rose loved, or at least thought she did, this alien who was her daughter's husband. God, was that even legal? Regardless of their assumed marriage she had to separate them. It might damage their mother/ daughter relationship forever, but Jackie had lived a year thinking her baby girl was dead, and if she knew anything, an angry daughter, who possibly would never speak to her again, was a whole lot better than a dead one. Who knew maybe once she had been away from that thing's influence, Rose would come to her senses, as she clearly didn't seem to be in her right mind. She knew that she had to protect her daughter, but she didn't know how she was going to do it. That was until the television, after informing that at least three people had been assaulted by members of the public who had falsely identified the victims as alien, implored for help.

A man called Tom Hitchinson was now on the screen and he appealed to his viewers,  
"Are there more ships to come? And what is their intention? The authorities are now asking if anyone knows anything. If any previous sighting has been made, then call this number. We need your help." 

Jackie seeing her salvation and her daughter's liberation from the alien menace, who had ensnared her, picked up her bedroom phone and dialed the number on the screen. Jackie clung to the phone like the lifeline it was and got a busy tone. She dialed again. Busy! She dialed a third time and finally she got through. In a voice that was in near hysterics she declared,  
"Oh, my God. She's not safe. I've seen an alien, and I know his name. He's called the Doctor." Little did Jackie know that her words, 'the Doctor,' were already being cross referenced into a database search. She described to the person on the phone what the Doctor's spaceship looked like and squeaked out the information she had observed and heard from her daughter.  
"A box. A blue box. She called it a TARDIS." She cried out. The database located at Downing Street at the word TARDIS blared off a warning and a team was dispatched to settle the matter of 'The Doctor.'

Oblivious to her mother's betrayal, Rose was sitting on the Jump seat of the TARDIS watching the Doctor doing some work on the console that would help them find out the fake crash's point of origin. Perhaps this way they could guess what the invaders were up to. Rose watched slightly annoyed as the Doctor continued to unnecessarily push Mickey's buttons. Though at the same time she was also enjoying the view as the Doctor laid on his back under the console with his legs hiked up on the floor grating. This was probably the first time she had seen him lying down while not on fire. With a lot of imagination his mostly awkward position on the floor could be turned into him lying down on that frankly huge bed in the room that was supposed to be theirs. With Mickey in the room she wasn't having erotic thoughts about her husband or anything. She just really missed seeing him lying down on a bed, particularly next to her. And as pathetic as she was trying to not make it sound, she wanted to memorize what the Doctor looked like lying down. She could then pretend he was doing that in her bed when she went to sleep later on. Her love life was at an all time low, if imaginary, just barely horizontal, platonic proximity was being made into a romantic fantasy in her mind. She decided once more to stop depressing herself and watched the show starring the two actors in front of her.

"So, what're you doing down there?" asked Mickey, he had been watching the Doctor for an hour now and still didn't have a clue what he was doing or what part of this spaceship he was working on. Being a mechanic Mickey was genuinely curious. The Doctor annoyed by the interruption addressed the man.  
"Ricky." Said the Doctor getting his name wrong again and surely on purpose this time.  
"Mickey." Corrected the man annoyed. The Doctor ignored the correction.  
"Ricky. If I was to tell you what I was doing to the controls of my frankly magnificent time ship, would you even begin to understand?" asked the Doctor, it was a rude question, but he did have a point.  
"I suppose not." Replied Mickey a bit put off guard, it was true, he probably wouldn't understand alien technology even if it were explained to him.

"Well, shut it, then." Smiled the Doctor and he proceeded to get back to his sonicing. Mickey feeling low and dejected ambled over to Rose for sympathy.  
"Some spouse you've got." He said a bit bitterly, but mostly sad.  
"He's winding you up." Rose tried to explain and seeing the hurt in the man's eyes from over a year of being tormented and cast aside declared,  
"I am sorry." Mickey just acknowledged her apology but looked even more dejectedly at the floor.  
"I am, though. I never meant for you to get hurt, Mickey. I broke it off with you because I didn't want to hurt you. I didn't want to two-time and let you find out the hard way. I thought I was being kind to you." Said Rose, she couldn't look him in the eyes anymore.  
"Rose, I never stopped worrying about you…I never stopped loving you. You might have been through with me and moving on, but I wasn't when you broke up with me. Do you know how it feels to be cast aside by your girlfriend for a man old enough to be her father? And with the same last name and everything. And despite that, I couldn't stop thinking about you. I didn't start dating again, not from when we first broke up to when I last saw you. Still wasn't over you. Friends told me to get over you, but I couldn't. And I couldn't bring myself to hate you when you didn't string me along. That was in a sense 'a kindness.' And when you went off with him in that box…I didn't know what would happen to you, or when I'd see you again. If at all. Every day, I looked. On every street corner, wherever I went, looking for a blue box for a whole year." Mickey said almost tearing up. Rose's heart went out for the man and she tried to explain that this whole gone a year thing had just been a very bad accident.  
"It's only been a few days for me. It's, it's hard to tell inside this thing, but I swear, it's just a few days since I left you in front of the house."  
"Not enough time to miss me, then?" asked Mickey, wanting to know if he at least still held a place of endearment in her heart.  
"I did miss you, Mickey. How do you not?" replied Rose, Mickey smirked and revealed that he had missed her too. Though his term of missed might be a bit more loaded than Rose's was.  
"So, er, in twelve months, have you been seeing anyone else?" asked Rose, hopeful that he had moved on because she very much wanted him to be happy. She had made him sad enough and wanted him to find happiness with someone just as wonderful as him. Mickey had to admit that he had not been dating anyone else yet.  
"Mainly because everyone thinks I might have murdered you and possibly your husband." Explained Mickey. Rose cringed and confirmed that she understood the situation.

"So, now that you've come back, are you going to stay?" Mickey knew it was a slim chance, but was very hopeful that Rose might have decided that the life of a time traveling alien's wife wasn't for her. And if that was the case maybe she might be willing to try on them again. Just a normal human bloke and not an alien one. Rose never had a chance to answer though as the Doctor took that pause in the conversation to announce,

"Got it! Ha, ha! Patched in the radar, looped it back twelve hours so we can follow the flight of that spaceship. Here we go. Hold on. Come on." And as The Doctor said, the trajectory of the crashed spaceship was shown on the monitor.  
"That's the spaceship on its way to Earth, see? Except. Hold on. See? The spaceship did a sling shot round the Earth before it landed." Explained the Doctor trying to look double impressive. He had actually discovered the data a few moments prior but when he noticed that Rose and Mickey's proximity was getting a bit too close to each other and bit too quiet in their talking, he thought it best to put a stop to that. So he loudly announced his findings to draw Rose back to his side. It was a great plan and one he would never own up to being motivated by the desire to be possessive of Rose around other males. Rose inquired as to what the data's meaning was and the Doctor explained that it meant that the crashed ship came from Earth in the first place.

"It went up and came back down. Whoever those aliens are, they haven't just arrived, they've been here for a while. The question is, what have they been doing?" Mused the Doctor to his human companions.  
The Doctor decided that this was as good a time as any to see what the humans were up to on tele. It might provide at least some notion as to what ideas had escalated among the Earthlings. He began flipping through channels on his monitor, passing several news stations, trying to find something that could give them a hint as to what these aliens had planned by garnering all this panic. Mickey, ever curious, looked over the Doctor and Rose's shoulders as it was a tiny monitor and the Doctor was clearly not letting Mickey get anywhere near Rose.  
"How many channels do you get?" asked Mickey a bit excited.  
"All the basic packages." Declared the Doctor with some pride, to which Mickey with the joy of a child asked,  
"You get sports channels?" Rose rolled her eyes, the man was forever thinking about sports even a year later. But with nothing else in his life for a year what else was to be expected.  
"Yes, I get the football." Answered the Doctor and in a moment where he forgot where he was and the situation at hand, Mickey wondered if Rose could convince the Doctor to let him come over and watch the next match if they had a bigger screen in this spaceship. Mickey's fantasy of matches was interrupted when the Doctor stopped on a channel and pointed to the military looking group on the screen.  
"Hold on, I know that lot." A woman on the television said something about the Government bringing in alien specialists while the Doctor continued his explanation.  
"UNIT. United Nations Intelligence Taskforce. Good people." Smiled the Doctor. This was the first time the Doctor had ever had anything other than an ill opinion about anything human outside of the realm of the past and intrigued she questioned how the Doctor knew them. However, instead of the Doctor answering, Mickey did.  
"'Cos he's worked for them. Oh yeah, don't think I sat on my backside for twelve months, Doctor. I read up on you. You look deep enough on the Internet or in the history books, and there's his name, followed by a list of the dead." Stated Mickey with an all knowing voice and very keen to remind Rose of the dangers of being around the Doctor.

"That's nice. Good boy, Ricky." Said the Doctor sarcastically and obviously not impressed with Mickey's eerie warnings or information gathering. These were evidently people with the right resources that they should be talking to or warning about the invasion, why was the Doctor not contacting them if he worked for them in the past?

"If you know them, why don't you go and help?" she asked her husband. Oh how did he explain that to Rose? He really didn't want to go into the regenerating process. It was a long explanation at the least. And being fobbed was already like regeneration. A part of him so small might have also been afraid to explain that he could change his face to Rose. As much as he denied it, he enjoyed her company and didn't want her to stop traveling with him. That information might have her worried that he could change again at any minute. And this time not be recognizable. Maybe she didn't want to have to deal with that a second time when she was still coming to terms with John being the Doctor now. So he made up a vague excuse.

"They wouldn't recognize me. I've changed a lot since the old days. Besides, the world's on a knife-edge. There's aliens out there and fake aliens. We want to keep this alien out of the mix." Said the Doctor pointing at himself.

"I'm going undercover. And er, I'd better keep the Tardis out of sight. Ricky, you've got a car. You can do some driving." Announced the Doctor as he put the TARDIS on emergency power so that it would be the least detectable and put the perception filter on its highest setting.  
"Where to?" asked Mickey, confused and a bit annoyed that the Doctor just volunteered his car without asking.  
"The roads are clearing. Let's go and have a look at that spaceship." Declared the Doctor as they exited the TARDIS.  
No sooner had the Doctor, Mickey and Rose walked out of the TARDIS, they were surrounded by a helicopter, police, armored cars and men with guns, lots and lots of guns. They could barely see because of the blinding light from the copter above them.  
"Do not move! Step away from the box and raise your hands above your heads." Shouted a policeman on a megaphone to the trio below. Once they looked surrounded, Mickey freaked out and ran for the shadows. He had no desire to get mixed up this much in the Doctor's mess. Soldiers followed him but cleverly he managed to hide behind some trash bins and the soldiers ran right past him.

Rose clung to the Doctor as she heard and saw a group of men with attack dogs approach and she feared for the Doctor. Were these people going to take him away from her, lock him up and she'd never see him again? Would they experiment on him or dissect him? She never had accounted for this when she realized she was married to an alien. She had been so far removed from the real world that she didn't think what her actual world would do if they discovered a specimen as fantastic as The Doctor. She wanted to protect him but she didn't know how. Rose heard her mother's voice over the noise and saw soldiers grab her, keeping her away, which upset Rose even more. Was her whole family at risk now, but from what or who? And why was the Doctor just watching somewhat amused by this obvious threat. Did he have a plan? The police in the helicopter above them once again ordered The Doctor and Rose to raise their hands over their head and they both complied. The Doctor then smiled up at the helicopter and declared,  
"Take me to your leader." Rose's worry was broken instantly by the cliché and she raised an eyebrow to her husband as best she could under blinding lights.  
"Sorry, couldn't resist, I so rarely get to say it." Smirked the Doctor to Rose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Notes: Next chapter is entitled, The Doctor and Rose: Earth's most interesting couple.


	25. Chapter 25 - The Doctor and Rose: Earth's most interesting couple

Complicated  
by The Plot Thinens  
Chapter 25 - The Doctor and Rose: Earth's most interesting couple 

 

The Doctor and Rose were now being led to the street and before they knew it they were shuffled over to what appeared to be some kind of armored limo. Rose had enough time to crane her head around to see thankfully the Police, and not the military, leading her mother back into Jackie's apartment building. She looked forward and watched her husband climb into the open door of the limo and sit down. The Doctor upon seeing their accommodations and no cuffs or bars to be found realized that their situation wasn't as dire as Rose might still be thinking. Rose climbed into the backseat with the Doctor and looked about the inside of the limo.

"This is a bit posh. If I knew it was going to be like this, being arrested, I would have done it years ago." Smirked Rose a bit confused. The Doctor now comfortably seated smiled his manic grin and retorted,  
"We're not being arrested, we're being escorted." Gloated the Doctor as he laughed to his technically-still-his-wife. Rose giggled and asked where they were being escorted to? The Doctor quite proudly stated as if it were obvious that they were being personally escorted to Downing Street. Rose could not believe her ears.

"You're kidding." Asked Rose in amazement, to which the Doctor retorted that he was not kidding and that they were indeed on their way to 10th Downing Street.

"Come along with me Rose Tyler and you'll get treated like royalty soon enough. Been mistaken for a God more than once actually, now that I think about it." The Doctor continued his big headed gloating but Rose was not catching a word of it. She was too blown away by the fact that a chav like her from a council estate was being taken to Downing Street, 1st class. The glamour and prestige of it all was circling in her head, what a story to tell her Mum.

"Oh, my God. I'm going to 10 Downing Street? How come?" Inquired Rose of her husband, she was so excited that she might start bouncing on the seat. The Doctor looked a bit pained and embarrassed, but still full of himself and replied,

"I hate to say it, but Mickey was right. Over the years I've visited this planet a lot of times, and I've been, er, noticed." Amazing. Imagine the attention she'd catch alone being technically-still-the-wife of this man. As long as they didn't try to lock up the Doctor afterwards and he managed to actually help save the world from an invasion, then there was no way anyone, not even her Mum, could have a bad thing to say about him. At least not in public. The Doctor struck her as a contradictory man, on one hand he liked attention and to be praised but on the other hand he liked to be as anonymous as possible and not stay too long to answer too many questions afterward. Would he stick around after this to be praised? Did he plan on letting himself become a celebrity? Most women probably wouldn't mind their husbands being famous and it wasn't that Rose would love him less if the world knew about him more. She just wanted him to herself and didn't want to have to share him with the press or publicity of her time. She already had to share him with the universe. She just hoped that it didn't go to his head and that he still wanted to travel with her afterwards. He'd have people throwing themselves at him for a chance to work or travel with the man who saved the World. Again she was being negative, 'Try a little more optimism Rose, yeah?' thought Rose. Wanting to keep the conversation pleasant and still excited for the possibility of the situation, she asked for confirmation of her assumption,

"So there's trouble and now they need you?"

"Like it said on the news. They're gathering experts in alien knowledge. And who's the biggest expert of the lot?" Smiled the Doctor so proud of himself. Rose had to take the wind out of his sail a bit, she just couldn't let his head get as big as the face of Bo head. So with a smug voice she answered,

"Patrick Moore?" The Doctor looked a bit put off but still he was too proud of himself and apart from that guy the Doctor asked her to guess again. Rose could clearly see that he was still sitting on his throne of 'I am so great,' and laughed,

"Oh, don't you just love it. You love the attention, everywhere we go you're center stage. You even jumped on the stage back in Cardiff. And who do you show up with as back up to save me? Dickens! All the important people in history just flock to you, without fail. And you love it." The Doctor couldn't deny that he had met a lot of interesting people and of course he couldn't help the attention, he was a fantastic superior Time Lord after all. So naturally Downing Street would want him to pay a visit in a crisis if he were around. Downing Street, not the first time he was a guest, he wondered how much it changed from last time he was there? Then he got to thinking about Prime Ministers, boy he met them like people might hope to collect trading cards. The Doctor thought that he would impress Rose with some name dropping.

"Well you flocked to me too, didn't you? I'm telling you. Lloyd George, he used to drink me under the table. Who's the Prime Minister now?" The Doctor was so wrapped up in his gloating that he didn't seem to notice that he had actually given Rose a nice compliment. He had hinted that she was important in history, so that was why their paths crossed, and that was very nice, Rose thought. The Blond suddenly registered that the Doctor had asked her a question about who the Prime Minister was.  
"How should I know? I missed a year." Exclaimed Rose to her absentminded husband.  
"Right" said the Doctor as he snuggled his back into the plush leather seat. Rose upon closer inspection noticed the tinted windows and the divider to the front seat was up. The Doctor was so close to her in this not so bigger on the inside vehicle. How fast was an escort to Downing Street anyway? Rose placed her hand on the Doctor's and felt the added adrenaline of touching him on top of the adrenaline she had experienced from this situation of being 'picked up' by the military. She wouldn't lie to herself; she was having impure thoughts of what they could do in the back of this limo before they arrived. But then like a bucket of cold water, reality set in and she remembered that she had never been more scared for the Doctor like she was earlier and now he might still be in danger, who knew? She wanted to be closer to him for comfort and it was the backseat of a limo. 'Sitting closer could be forgiven, yeah?' Rose asked herself. She slipped closer to him when the vehicle bounced up slightly when they hit a pot hole in the road. Also during that bounce Rose managed to pick up the Doctor's hand she had been holding and looped it around her waist. Now flush against him she hugged him burying her face in his shirt that was poking out of his jacket. She clung tightly to him and breathed in his scent, which was not an unpleasant sensation the Doctor was finding as he was easily at leisure to take in her scent too, if he wanted.

"Doctor, I was so worried for you. I thought that they were going to take you away from me, lock you up and I'd never see you again." She whispered into his chest with a shaky voice. The Doctor who had been silent up to this point mainly because he wasn't sure what to do with Rose this close. Having no place to run away to in the back of this limo, he decided to alleviate her worries with a little humor. He gave her a reassuring hug and then looked her in the eyes.

"Oh please, Rose Tyler. You think that a silly 21st century military could keep me locked up forever? I'd be out and about in no time. You'll never lose me." Laughed the Doctor, but then he froze when he realized the implications of what he had just said. Did he mean that or had he just been show boating? The Doctor asked himself this question while Rose just gazed up at him, eyes frozen to his, and looking hopeful. Rose wanted to say something and so did the Doctor, but the car stopped and neither of them ended up saying anything as the door to the vehicle was opened to let them step out.

 

Downing Street looked just like it did on television, only more surreal for someone who had never been there let alone a guest. Rose and the Doctor stepped out of the limo and were immediately bombarded with flashing camera lights and the noise of reporters begging for them to look this way or that way. Some howled for statements too. Rose could see that the Doctor was loving the star treatment and turn to the journalists and grinned. He waved and the reporters waved back and then he was off to the front door of 10th Downing. Rose sheepishly waved too and she wondered vaguely how many tabloids they would be in or news channels their pictures would be flashed in front of. 'Who was this mysterious couple and why were they so important to be summoned to Downing Street during a crisis like this?' The blond could almost hear them thinking. Rose wondered, would some see the Doctor and recognize him as John Smith? Well she guessed there were worse places to be seen escorted to. Rose finally turned to the door and biting her lip while grinning with excitement she said to herself,

"Oh, my God." A few steps and she was inside one of the most important places in Britain.

 

At the same time in what was not considered a very important part of Britain at all, Jackie was sitting in her flat nervously talking to the police. The three police officers sat with Jackie and were questioning her about the man she had helped them 'tag'. Jackie had seen her daughter brought away with the Doctor and she was worried that she might have caught hell by being with the Doctor.

 

"So, she's all right then? She's not in any trouble?" Asked Jackie of the Officers. She had called to get rid of the Doctor; not to involve her daughter in whatever mess or trouble The Doctor was set up to deal with. In her perfect world the Doctor would have been carted away, Rose would have been returned to her unharmed and then they would never have to see the dangerous man again, but there were obviously some hiccups in her plan. One of the policemen, a fat dumpy looking one, named Strickland, sat down in the chair next to Jackie and explained,

"Well, all I can say is, your daughter and her companion might be in a position to help the country. We'll need to know how she made contact with this man, if he is a man." Shifting his weight the officer's stomach made a not too pleasant sound and the man said to his fellow remaining officers,

"Oof. Right, off you go then. I need to talk with Mrs Tyler on my own, thank you." The other law enforcement officers then left the room, leaving Jackie alone with the fat policeman.

Inside the waiting room at Downing Street there were dozens of people of importance, and important looking, shuffling about for the meeting about to start. Among these important people was a supposedly not so important looking person by the name of Harriet Jones. She was an older woman, dressed in a respectable conservative fashion and clutching her ID card as if it were a source of comfort to her. She had just witnessed something that needed to be brought to the attention of the right people for the sake of the world and she didn't know who she could trust. Certainly no one in Downing, but maybe someone brought in. She looked shaken up from what she had seen, though she was trying very hard to cover that up. She flashed her ID badge at the UNIT officer guarding the room,

"Harriet Jones, MP Flydale North." Declared the woman as she worked her way into the room of people. A young looking but very capable government man was now raising his voice over the crowd to gain the attention of the people around him.

"Ladies and gentlemen, can we convene? Quick as we can, please. It's this way on the right, and can I remind you ID cards are to be worn at all times." The man then proceeded to give a badge to the Doctor, which the Doctor happily placed around his neck.

"Here's your ID card. I'm sorry, your companion doesn't have clearance." The young man said to the Doctor. The Doctor looked upset by this information. He didn't want to leave Rose alone, especially during an emergency. And not only that but Rose was much more clever than other humans, in his opinion, so it would only serve as a benefit to have Rose with him to bounce ideas off of. He put his arm around Rose's shoulder and announced very clearly to the man,

"I don't go anywhere without her." Not negotiable. The young man looked sympathetic but sternly replied,

"You're the code nine, not her. I'm sorry, Doctor. It is the Doctor, isn't it? She'll have to stay outside."

"She's staying with me." Barked the Doctor to the young government man. This was ridiculous to the Doctor. They trusted him enough and if the Doctor trusted Rose with code 9 clearance or whatever it was, then that should be good enough for these apes. The man clearly did not want a fight about this, rules were rules. And no matter how important a person, they all had to follow the rules that's why the rules were there.

"Look, even I don't have clearance to go in there. I can't let her in and that's a fact." The young man said imploring the Doctor to understand. Rose was uneasy about the situation, but she couldn't help but feel a bit giddy over the Doctor's uncompromising desire to keep her near him. It made her feel very important to the Doctor. And right now that was the only person in the whole universe that she cared thought she was important. Still there was a world to save and if the Doctor was not in there it would never get saved, so taking the issue out of the Doctor's hands she said,

"It's all right. You go." She was just excited enough to actually be in 10th Downing, what did it matter to her if she didn't get to go in with all the stuffed shirts? The Doctor would give her the skinny later anyway, and then the real meeting to save the world would start. It was then that Harriet Jones over heard the conversation and quite excitedly asked,

"Excuse me. Are you the Doctor?" She had overheard earlier how important and what an expert he was and if anyone could help her he could. The Doctor answered the affirmative and the young government man rolled his eyes. He had been dealing with this woman's mundane concerns about retired citizens and other such unimportant at the moment issues all evening. He was sure whatever Ms Jones had to say, it was not worth the Doctor's time and declared,

"Not now. We're busy. Can't you go home?" Harriet was now desperate to get the information she had to tell out now and announced,

"I just need a word in private." Harriet proceeded to argue with the man while Rose tried to convince the Doctor that it was okay to go into the meeting without her.

"Are you sure? You going to be alright on your own?" Asked the Doctor of his technically-still-his-wife. He really didn't want to leave her behind with all these strange panicky apes. And also a part of him had really liked being seen with Rose for some reason. He had especially enjoyed all the press taking pictures of the two of them getting out of the car at 10th Downing street's entrance. It didn't hurt him in the least if the world saw him with a useful, clever, and lovely woman like his Rose. 'His Rose?' Yet another slip up thought the Doctor, but stuff like that just kept happening when he was looking at her.

"Just go, they can't save the world without you and I'll be just fine out here." Smiled Rose to her worried husband.

"I suppose so. Don't get in any trouble." Declared the Doctor to Rose as he left the room for the meeting.

"You haven't got clearance. Now leave it." Finished the young man to Jones and then he turned to the Doctor's companion,

"I'm going to have to leave you with security." Said the man to Rose. Harriet knew that this woman was with the Doctor and if she traveled with the Doctor then she was just as good and as important a person to talk to as the Doctor. Practically latching on to the young woman, Harriet smiled sheepishly and asked,

"It's all right. I'll look after her. Let me be of some use." Then forcing a smile she whispered to Rose,

"Walk with me. Just keep walking." Rose followed but she was a bit uneasy by the vibes she was getting off the woman. Rose tried to look back at the room she had just left only to hear the woman whisper again,

"That's right. Don't look round. Harriet Jones, MP Flydale North."

Inside the briefing room were seats and tables with papers to brief the alien experts on the situation, whatever it was. The Doctor although aware of the gravity of the situation was very excited to be in the room. History is being made and he was now part of it! This was indeed why he traveled in time, to experience historic events first hand. The doctor quickly scanned over the papers and in a matter of seconds became an expert on the information, before the briefing could even begin. Meanwhile, slightly hidden by the staircase, Harriet Jones was with Rose Tyler. Harriet saw this young girl as her salvation, if she could just convey what she had seen to this companion of the Doctor, Rose, somehow she knew things would be alright.

"This friend of yours, he's an expert, is that right? He knows about aliens?" Asked Harriet with a shaky voice. Rose was curious but cautious and asked,

"Why do you want to know?" But before the woman could answer Harriet broke down into tears and Rose gripped the woman's arms in comfort and tried to calm her down.

At the front of the briefing room, leading this meeting of minds were two very large tubby men. The man standing up was General Asquith, Chief of the Defense Staff, the most senior military officer in Britain at this time. The man sitting down at the place of power, was Joseph Green. This man until recent events was Chairman of a Parliamentary committee monitoring sugar standards in export of confectionary, but was now acting Prime Minister. By coincidence he was now the highest ranking member of the government within London during this crisis period and possible invasion, making him Acting PM. What were the odds that circumstances would make someone as unimportant as this the most powerful person in Britain?

"Hope someone bought a lottery ticket." The Doctor heard a man in front of him say as he explained to the man next to him just who it was sitting in front of them. General Asquith raised his voice and got the attention of the many people in the room.

"Now, ladies and gentlemen, if I could have your attention, please. As you can see from the summaries in front of you, the ship had one porcine occupant." The Doctor who had already briefed himself decided that since he was the only person in the room that it mattered was briefed decided to bypass wasting in a meeting and addressed the room. It was time for the short version.

"Of course, the really interesting bit happened three days ago, see, filed away under Any Other Business. The North Sea. A satellite detected a signal, a little blip of radiation, at one hundred fathoms, like there's something down there. You were just about to investigate and the next thing you know, this happens. Spaceships, pigs, massive diversion. From what?" Asked the Doctor of the room. While the Doctor addressed these experts in the know, the real critical information was being discussed up stairs in the Cabinet Room. Harriet Jones was so glad to have the assistant to the Doctor listening to her when so many would not. Rose had followed her into the Cabinet Room and Harriet had produced from the closet what looked like a giant Halloween costume. At first Rose thought it was like one of those political novelty masks, but when she touched it she could tell that it did not feel like plastic. It was human flesh and there was a zipper stitched and concealed into the head of what looked like a taxidermy human.

"They turned the body into a suit. A disguise for the thing inside!" Explained the distraught woman who was barely holding herself together. Harriet was still afraid that she would not be believed by Rose, but Rose was no stranger to weird or aliens and believed Harriet whole heartedly. Gripping the woman's shoulders to calm the woman, Rose said reassuringly,

"It's all right. I believe you. It's, it's alien. They must have some serious technology behind this. If we could find it, we could use it." The aliens must have completely taken over 10th Downing so any number of alien possessions could be around the place. Rose began looking about the room for anything that screamed to her eyes alien tech. She looked behind things, open drawers, and cupboards until she reached a different cupboard. This one being different because a man's body slumped out of it and fell to the floor! Rose was horrified,

"Oh, my God! Is that the…" Rose never had a chance to finish her sentence because at that time the young government man, who had been belittling Harriet earlier, entered the room.  
"Harriet, for God's sake. This has gone beyond a joke. You cannot just wander. Oh, my God. That's the Prime Minister!" Shrieked the young man as he gazed down on the floor at the body of his missing leader. A cruel laugh was heard and a short and fat blond woman entered the room.

At the same time the Doctor was reaching the end of his logical string of thoughts which he was saying out loud. It dawned on him and he was very worried.

"If aliens fake an alien crash and an alien pilot, what do they get? Us. They get us. It's not a diversion, it's a trap." Stated the Doctor, he had to get these people moving before the trap closed around them.

"Oh! Has someone been naughty?" Giggled the woman that the young man knew as Margaret Blaine. Blaine had taken that moment to walk into the room and quite noticeably closed the door behind her and locked it. Then with the air of a panther on the hunt she approached closer to her prey. Rose and the young man were confused by her strange behavior, but Harriet was terrified.

Inside the Tyler flat Jackie proceeded to do what she thought was best for her daughter and continued to send Rose's husband up the river. She was upset that she was being drilled so much by the officer but she wanted to be helpful if it meant getting that dangerous man away from her baby girl. Even if part of her was feeling increasingly guilty for doing it. But Rose she was convinced wasn't in her right mind and needed her mother to save her, so she gave every detail that she could remember from what she saw and heard from the Doctor.

"It was bigger on the inside. I don't know. What do I know about spaceships?" Answered Jackie for the ninth time about the Doctor's transportation. The officer continued to give off a vibe of overwhelming concern about the dangerous situation Jackie found herself in over the Doctor.

"That's what worries me. You see, this man is classified as trouble. Which means that anyone associated with him is trouble. And that's my job…." Announced the officer as Jackie walked into the kitchen. Jackie was stressed and whenever she was stressed she drank tea. Now was as good a time as any to start drinking tea and she looked about the kitchen for the kettle. Jackie was so distracted by her task and in her own little world of worry for her daughter that she did not see the officer in the next room take off his cap. Nor did she see the obvious zipper on his forehead under that cap. And she certainly did not see the blue flashing light coming from the living room as 'Strictland' began to unzip the zipper on his head!

"Eliminating trouble." Finished Strictland eerily.

"That's impossible. He left this afternoon. The Prime Minister left Downing Street. He was driven away!" Said the young man to Blaine as he stared disbelievingly at the corpse of the dead Prime Minister. Jones moved closer to Rose and gripped her arm as if she'd fall over if she didn't. Blaine moved ahead to the group still unrelenting in her creepy smile as if she were in the best secret ever, but was dying for the three people in front of her to figure it out.

"And who told you that, hmm? Me." Smirked the creepy fat woman as she reached up for her hairline.

"This is all about us. Alien experts. The only people with knowledge how to fight them gathered together in one room." Declared the Doctor with heightened worry, but his train of thought was derailed when the man who was now Prime Minister let off a noisy fart. Disgusted by the elimination system of the apes he turned to the man and hissed,

"Excuse me, do you mind not farting while I'm saving the world?" The Doctor insulted by the man's body functions and anything that distracted from the serious matter at hand. So much to his irritation Acting PM Green smirked,

"Would you rather silent but deadly?" General Asquith then proceeded to remove his cap and began to unzips a zipper in his forehead. Green began to laugh and the room filled with blue light as the alien inside the skin of Asquith wriggled to get free of his human disguise. It was a trap, the Doctor knew this now and the trap was for all these experts carefully gathered into one room. Apart from the danger this spelt for the Earth and himself it also meant that Rose possibly was in danger too. He had brought Rose into a trap and he currently did not know where she was. He just hoped that she had not found trouble in the form of one of these aliens.

Margaret had now unzipped the zipper on her forehead and much to her relief her arms were now finally free. She flexed her three fingered hands and brandished them at the three terrified humans. She was going to enjoy this. Margaret then grabbed the young man around the neck and lifted him up off the floor and slammed him hard against the wall. The man struggled but could not seem to free himself from the alien claw and his neck broke under the pressure.

In the Tyler flat a similar eight foot tall alien with large eyes and scaly green skin was menacing over a petrified Jackie Tyler. This was the first time Jackie had ever seen an alien that didn't resemble something familiar. Jackie was shaking with adrenaline and all she could do was scream and hope that someone could hear her and if not too late, rescue her.

The Doctor stared anxiously at the alien that had revealed itself in front of him and the gather crowd of alien experts. It was green with a childlike chubby face and a strange device around its neck. It hissed and roared causing the humans in the room to flinch and quake in terror with every move it made. This was not good, hostile aliens had infiltrated the British government and now he had to somehow fix this mess.

"We are the Slitheen." Hissed the alien that was posing as the General. Never stopping his laughing, Green then declared to the room of shocked and scared viewers,

"Thank you all for wearing your ID cards. They'll help to identify the bodies." Then holding up a remote controlled device he flipped a switch on it and the ID cards emitted electric shocks to their wearers, including the Doctor. The Doctor crippled by the electricity fell to his knees in pain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ALIENS!


End file.
